Just before her audition for the show, Underwood lost out on another pilot opportunity, which left her feeling "absolutely devastated." Because of that, Underwood almost quit acting altogether. "I was ready to pack up and go home. I didn't want to do the audition for 'Little Fires,'" she told "Harper's Bazaar." Knowing how much she wanted to play Pearl, Underwood's mom, Stephanie Black, encouraged her to still go through with the audition, and Underwood ended up nabbing the part. "Words can't even describe how I was feeling in that moment. There were a lot of tears, a lot of smiles."