In an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, Catherine Bach — who played one of the most iconic roles in TV history — reveals that she almost wasn’t on the cast of The Dukes of Hazzard.

“It was a complete fluke that I was Daisy Duke! I’m half Mexican and half German, and my agency said, ‘You’re way too exotic and just not television material’ — and they fired me!” Catherine, 63, reveals to Closer.

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But she was determined to prove them wrong. “My first husband, David Shaw, worked with Bob Clark, who was writing with the show’s creator, Gy Waldron. Bob said, ‘It would be fun for them to meet someone I sort of based the character on,’” she explains.

“I told my girlfriend, ‘I’m not going to do it — they’ve been looking for a year and want a blonde like Dolly Parton, not me.’” She said, ‘Who cares? Just go.’ Two weeks later, I had the role,” she tells Closer of The Dukes of Hazzard casting, adding that she even designed Daisy Duke’s costume. “Now, everybody thinks of me as the All-American girl,” she gushes to Closer.

For the full interview with Catherine, including her current relationships with her The Dukes of Hazzard castmates, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!