Fuller House will debut on Netflix this week, and fans of the original show couldn’t be happier. For months now, the show’s stars have been teasing us all with behind-the-scenes pics and teaser trailers, as well as interviews on talk shows that show just how close the co-stars are in real life. Actress Andrea Barber, who will reprise her role as Kimmy Gibbler on the reboot, says it took her a while to realize just how iconic the show really was and revealed in a recent interview that she initially interviewed for a very different role.

Most people of a certain age will remember Barber as slightly geeky, slightly annoying but ever-lovable neighbor Kimmy, best friend of DJ Tanner. The characters are in very different places in their lives on the new show, and Barber says she’s come a long way from where Kimmy originally started.

“Really, it’s taken 30 years to develop that kind of perspective, seeing now how the fans are still here and there’s still a huge demand for this show. It’s kind of hitting me now, really, 30 years later. I wasn’t a full-time cast member the first few seasons. I was a recurring character, and it was somewhere during the middle of the run of the show, around season five, when I became a full-time cast member, so by then, Kimmy was involved in more of the storylines,” Barber said.

Andrea says that Kimmy really began to take on a life of her own after a while and added a new, fun personality to a cast of beloved characters, almost all of which will return on the new series. But, she admits, she didn’t even audition for the role of Kimmy originally.

“I originally auditioned for the role of D.J. and got turned down. Fortuitously, they called me back and said, “Well, we want you to read for the role of the wacky neighbor Kimmy Gibbler,” and it was supposed to be just like a one-time appearance and it turned into this major role in my life. I think Kimmy was just supposed to be a quirky neighbor at first, but it kind of developed into this really eccentric personality,” Barber said.

How do you celebrate less than a week 'til the release of #FullerHouse?! You go watch Mr. T tell jokes on stage! #FullerHouseFamily #lovethesepeople #whywasntmynameonthelist? #newjodie #Repost @bobsaget with @repostapp. ・・・ Had so much fun that @jodiesweetin and @andreabarber came to the show tonight. It's late so I made them go home and go right to bed just like Mr. T. would do.

A photo posted by Andrea Barber (@andreabarber) on Feb 21, 2016 at 12:38am PST

Barber and her co-stars are currently eagerly anticipating the release of Fuller House and have been making the talk show rounds, including a surprise appearance on the Tonight Show where they all consoled Donald Trump (played by Jimmy Fallon).