“Little House on the Prairie'”s“ ”Dean Butler Says Viewers Still Approach Him About Being Their 'First Crush' (Exclusive)

The actor tells PEOPLE it’s "flattering" to still be approached decades later about his work on the iconic show

It’s been almost 45 years since Dean Butler’s first appearance on Little House on the Prairie, but viewers still approach the actor about his role playing Melissa Gilbert’s onscreen love interest on the beloved show.

Butler, 67, told PEOPLE at the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Cast Reunion and Festivallast month that he is touched when fans remember him as their first celebrity crush.

“There are so many women who approach me and say, ‘You were my first crush. You were the first guy I fell in love with,’” he said. “We all have those people, and to be one of those people for so many young women is really incredibly touching to me. It's gratifying.”

Related: Little House on the Prairie's Dean Butler Wished He Was 'Closer' to Melissa Gilbert's Age (Exclusive)

Butler’s character Almanzo first met Laura (Gilbert) on Little House in the season 6 episode “Back to School (Part 1)" and the pair later shared their first kiss in the episode “Sweet Sixteen" later that season.

While Butler recalled being “anxious” filming that onscreen peck with Gilbert, Butler gave the actress, 49, credit for her moving portrayal of Laura. Almanzo and Laura's intimate moment resonated with viewers and tapped into several of Little House’s themes including love and innocence.

“I look at this saying, ‘Oh boy, we really were pretty simple with all this,’ but it was beautiful [and] simple. It was heartfelt [and] simple. It was sort of storybook simple. And I think that's one of the reasons why people continue to love this, because it gives you this idyllic view of what a romance could be, what young love could be,” Butler said, adding, “Because the audience loved her [Laura] so much … If she'd chosen this guy, then this guy must be really good. And so I got the benefit of a lot of all of that. The audience just came right with me, because she did.”

Related: Little House on the Prairie’s Dean Butler Will Discuss 'Hurt Feelings' and 'Disappointments' in New Memoir (Exclusive)

Now the actor, who has a memoir entitled Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond hitting shelves this summer, sees his relationship with Little House fans as a “huge responsibility.”

“I never want to disappoint somebody. I want to have them have a reason that they felt the way they felt [about me growing up], and I want to give them that experience when they meet me,” he shared. “I want people to walk away from an encounter with me feeling like they've gotten what they hope to see. Older, a little more of me than there was then, but that they're getting the essential truth of what I brought then, and they're seeing the same thing now. That's really important to me.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

All nine seasons of Little House on the Prairie can be streamed on Prime Video and Peacock.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.