While many celebrities receive invitations to speak at high society events or functions, Estelle Getty was fortunate enough to have a highly selective demographic.

The actor had been playing Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls for just a few short years before she began receiving invitations to entertain at retirement homes.

“Now, a lot of people think I’m Sophia,” the actor said during an interview with the Edmonton Journal. “I get requests to visit retirement homes - I haven’t had the time yet - and I get a lot of letters from kids. I don’t know why. I guess they like to see someone putting Mommy down.”

Watch The Golden Girls on MeTV!

BACK-TO-BACK EPISODES

Weeknights at 10 PM, Sundays at 6 PM & 8 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

Of course, Getty was certainly a fan of Sophia. “I think she’s a smart, strong, feisty woman,” said the actor. “She’s a fighter, she’s a lover, she cares… I don’t think Sophia is really rude or cruel. I just think she’s a funny lady.”

Perhaps it was Sophia’s similarities to the actor that endeared her to Getty. “People ask me how much of myself is in the character, and I really don’t know,” said the actor. “A lot, I guess. But I’m an actress. I really can’t describe how I act. I just do.”

Getty argued that the true quality of the series lay in its honesty.

“I think it’s a success because it is funny and honest and well acted, and it’s about people you know. Everyone has a mother, a grandmother, or an aunt. It’s viable. And there aren’t too many television shows where women are independent of men. I like that. I mean, I certainly would miss my husband if something should happen, but I wouldn’t say, ‘My life stops now until I get another one.’”