'The Waltons' Star Judy Norton Reveals How She Overcame the Anxiety That Once Controlled Her

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For 50 years, audiences have known Judy Norton as Mary Ellen Walton, the confident, headstrong daughter at the center of the series The Waltons. But before she landed that role, Norton struggled with anxiety that followed her into every audition.

Norton, who began acting at age six, told the Living Ageless and Bold podcast that the anxiety she experienced was apparent to casting directors—and for years, it was the only thing they saw. "The only parts I got cast for were frightened children, because that's what I projected," she said.

That changed three months before Norton auditioned for the role of Mary Ellen when she discovered the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard.

Dianetics describes the reactive mind as a part of the mind that records moments of pain and loss and can influence a person's reactions without their awareness. It presents a method for identifying the source of unwanted emotions and reactions.

"I used Dianetics, and it's like a switch flipped," Norton said. "The anxiety, the fear—walking into that audition, not an ounce. When I went to audition for Mary Ellen, I went in there cocky and confident."

For Norton, overcoming audition anxiety was only the beginning. After The Waltons ended its nine-season run, she faced another challenge familiar to many actors: being defined by the role that made her famous.

Norton said the same tools helped her navigate the transition that followed the show's success as she worked to establish an identity beyond Mary Ellen Walton. "I am me. I'm valuable," she said. "I have a worth beyond whether I'm on a hit TV show or not."

Today, more than five decades after beginning her career, Norton continues to act, direct and perform on stage. Looking back on the challenges that shaped her career, she credits Dianetics with giving her tools that she continues to rely on long after her breakthrough role.

Established in 1981, Bridge Publications, Inc., located in Los Angeles, California, is the publisher of the nonfiction works of international best-selling author L. Ron Hubbard. Bridge Publications' award-winning state-of-the-art facility serves geographic regions including North and Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

For more information, visit dianetics.org.

Sara Lucatero
Bridge Publications, Inc.
sdinges@bridgepub.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b4c302d-1918-430d-bdd8-07d811847014

Judy Norton

Judy Norton spent years being cast as "a frightened child." Three months before auditioning for ‘The Waltons,’ she discovered a book that changed her life.