For fans of Gilmore Girls, it’s basically a requirement to have an opinion about April Nardini. Luke’s quirky teenage daughter was first introduced in season 6 when she bounded into the diner asking Luke to participate in a DNA test for a science project designed to find out who her father is, and her mere presence may have inadvertently ended Lorelai and Luke’s engagement.

Actress Vanessa Marano knows that her character has elicited some strong reactions from fans – in fact, when she took the stage at Gilmore Girls Fan Fest this past weekend, she introduced herself by saying, “I played April Nardini, which means some of you might hate me.”

Vanessa knew what she was getting herself into when she signed on for the role. She was already a huge fan of Gilmore Girls when she joined the cast at 13 years old. As a Luke and Lorelai shipper herself, Vanessa was well aware that anyone who came between them might get their share of hate. However, she was willing to take on that task if it meant getting to join Stars Hollow.

But this should be said: it’s kind of hard to actually hate April, as she’s pretty much the embodiment of those awkward teenage years – and we mean that in the most loving way possible. We can all remember feeling out of place or unsure of ourselves as kids. And at the end of the day, all she wants is to have a relationship with her dad.

Teen Vogue sat down with Vanessa to chat all about what it was like to join a television show as a superfan, April’s evolution in the reboot, and her strong feelings about Jess Mariano. Here’s what she had to say!

Teen Vogue: Tell us about the process of getting cast on Gilmore Girls. You were a fan of the show before joining the cast, right?

Vanessa Marano: I was a huge fan of the show. Basically, a [casting] breakdown came out that said, ‘Looking for a 13-year-old girl, quirky, will have a storyline with Luke.’ And I was like, they’re giving him a daughter! They’re giving him a daughter! I immediately just knew, because I’d been watching the show. [I thought,] ‘Luke and Lorelai are together now, it’s going on for two more seasons, so they’re going to have to break them up...and she’s gonna be the reason, and I’m going to hate her – I must play her.’ That was literally my crazy thought process…. If it’s the character who breaks them up, then whatever, I just want to be on Gilmore Girls.

I remember I went with my dad to a CVS or a Rite Aid and got the red glasses, and they were prescription. I don’t wear glasses, so everything was blurry in the audition – and blurry on the first day on set too. I remember the prop guy kept seeing me take the glasses off, and he was like, ‘Are those prescription?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And he was like, ‘And you don’t wear glasses?’ I was like, ‘Yep.’ And so he was like, ‘Do you want me to put clear glass in there for you?’ I was just dead set on getting that part. And that’s never really happened, even to this day, there’s no part I can think of where I wanted it as badly as I wanted Gilmore Girls. It was purely from a fan point of view.

TV: You mentioned that some Gilmore Girls fans might hate you. What has the fan reception to your character been like over time?