Anika Noni Rose Marks“ Princess and the Frog'”s“ ”15th Anniversary, Remembers Feeling 'in My Bones' the Role Was Hers (Exclusive)

Anika Noni Rose "cannot believe" how time has flown since The Princess and the Frog premiered on Dec. 11, 2009.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE about her first children’s book, Tiana’s Perfect Plan, the actress shared her thoughts on the beloved Disney film and its milestone 15th anniversary.

“It's wild how fast that went by," the 52-year-old shared.

She recalled that during her final Princess Tiana audition, she arrived at Walt Disney Animation Studios and walked down the hallway past artwork depicting films from Bambi to Fantasia, and she "burst into tears."

"I just couldn't believe it. I always wanted to be a Disney voice, always," she said. "I didn't have to be a person. That didn't matter to me. I would have happily been a mushroom. I would have been a tree. I would have been a rock. I would have been whatever."

She continued to recall the moments before that final audition: "I was walking through the halls of the history of my childhood, and at that same time, I felt in my bones this was for me. I felt it."

She also told PEOPLE how meaningful it has been to watch children grow up with her character and the “mind-blowing” impact Tiana has on young girls; she's still in disbelief every time she spots kids in their "little outfits" or "singing the songs," she added.

Rose revealed that when she speaks with kids — or their parents come up to her and tell her how grateful they are for the character — she's allowed "to touch in with children in a different way.”

Related: Anika Noni Rose Gets Emotional About Disneyland's New Tiana Ride 15 Years After Film: 'The People's Princess' (Exclusive)

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She recalled that the first time she saw a child dressed as Tiana was at the D23 Expo, and since, she's “seen children of all different ethnicities, all different backgrounds” sporting the signature green gown.

“When I'm thinking of Black or brown-skinned adults, we spent so much time growing up trying to fit into another standard of beauty. And now, at this point, those children, these new children, are comfortable within themselves in different ways,” she said.

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Related: Anika Noni Rose Wrote Her Tiana Children’s Book to Help Kids Deal With Stress: ‘Perfectionism Is Not Real’ (Exclusive)

She continued to credit the animated icon for helping young people "feel like they fit into our space because of Tiana," speaking to the roster of Disney princesses.

“They don't think anything of putting on their Tiana dress. You can't tell them they're not Tiana,” she stated. “It's not about the fact they're not brown. They still feel like they're Tiana.”

“Brown babies feel like they are regal, and their friends, who may not be brown, look at them and absolutely see that. [They say,] ‘Yes, you are regal, and you are a princess.’ ”

“It's those little waves that make changes when these kids want to be in the school play, and they want to be the princess," she continued. "Who's going to tell them they can't be the princess at this point? Nobody, because we see it. It's there.”

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