Why Cheryl Ladd initially turned down “Charlie's Angels” role

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NEED TO KNOW

• Cheryl Ladd says she initially turned down the role of private investigator Kris Munroe in Charlie's Angels
• In an interview with Woman's World, the actress says she told producer Aaron Spelling no because she was worried about filling in the gap left by Farrah Fawcett
• "Nobody can go in there and try to be Farrah Fawcett or try to be the new Farrah Fawcett," she said

Cheryl Ladd says she initially turned down the role of private investigator Kris Munroe in Charlie's Angels because she was worried about filling in the gap left by Farrah Fawcett.

Ladd, 74, joined Kate Jackson, 77, and Jaclyn Smith, 80, as a lead on the show during its second season in 1977 to replace Fawcett and remained on it until its cancellation in 1981.

In an interview with Woman's World, Ladd said she was wary of trying to "be the new" Farrah — but ultimately convinced she would find her own niche.

“I had worked for [executive producer] Aaron Spelling on a couple of things, so when Farrah was leaving, he called me and said, ‘Cheryl, I want you to replace Farrah. I want you to come in and be on the show,' " she remembered. "And I said, ‘Oh, thank you, but no thank you. I appreciate it, but no.’ I’m sure he was quite upset with me, because he had given me work before and just didn’t understand."

She continued: "So he went off and looked at hundreds of girls and finally called me back and said, ‘I can’t find the girl I want. I want you, Cheryl. Just come in and talk to me?’ So I did. I sat across the desk from him in his office and I said, ‘Aaron, what would I play? Nobody can go in there and try to be Farrah Fawcett or try to be the new Farrah Fawcett. What would I play?’ "

Spelling, who died in 2006, ultimately convinced her that she would be her own character on the show, and wouldn't be taking the place of anyone, including Fawcett, who died in 2009.

“He said, ‘What do you mean?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know. Could I be funny?’ And he said, ‘Why couldn’t you be funny?’ That was interesting," she recounted. "Then I said, ‘If I was a rookie, I could make mistakes.’ And he said, ‘I love that.’ "

She continued: "And this is Aaron’s absolute genius; he said, ‘What if you’re Jill’s little sister, so you’re already part of the family?’ And then I said, ‘You have an actress.’ Now I knew who Kris Munroe was going to be and how to play something that wasn’t trying to be Farrah, other than the fact that Kris looked up to her big sister and thought she was wonderful and I got to love her with everyone else.”

The show, which centered on three elite private investigators who solved cases under orders from their enigmatic (but never seen) boss, Charlie Townsend, ultimately became a cultural phenomenon.

Ladd will reunite with Jackson and Smith at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on April 6 to mark the 50th anniversary of the show by looking back at the classic series and reflecting on its enduring impact.

The trio told PEOPLE in an earlier joint statement that they were excited to celebrate the show on its anniversary, saying, "Charlie’s Angels surprised everyone when Farrah, Jackie and I hit the ground running (thanks, in part, to Farrah’s iconic poster) and the pilot went through the glass ceiling. Overnight, we were hailed with something akin to 'rock star fame.' When Cheryl joined us in the second season, she added a special element uniquely hers and the crazy went on."