Francia Raisa on Meeting Kim Cattrall on 'HIMYF' and Their 'Sex and the City' Connection (Exclusive)

Francia Raisa had a plan in place to make sure she met Kim Cattrall.

ET spoke to the How I Met Your Father star, who said she wasn't supposed to be on set when Cattrall came to film for her role as the adult version of Hilary Duff's character, Sophie, who narrates the show.

"I went down to test the day that she was filming," Raisa shared. "She was filming for one day."

"She was like, a late edition," she continued. "What had happened was that originally Hilary was going to do it, but she looks so young and so then, the idea came about, and Kim hadn't been mentioned, but then the producer told us, 'You guys, we booked Kim Cattrall,' and I was like, 'My Samantha? Are you serious?'"

For Raisa, who considered herself a Samantha, of Sex and the City's four original leading ladies, it was a must to meet the 65-year-old actress.

"My first character...my first show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Adrian was inspired by Samantha, so I was very excited," Raisa gushed. "I wasn't supposed to work the day that she was there, and I asked wardrobe, I was like, 'Can you call me in for a fitting?' and they were like, 'What?' and I was like, 'Just call me in for a fitting."

The other girls on set had the same idea, with Raisa telling ET that they all showed up to set that day too.

"I guess we all did that, because we all showed up," she revealed. "All the girls showed up on set."

Raisa long-standing connection with Cattrall can also be seen in her HIMYF character, Valentina.

"I feel like Valentina's a little like Samantha, and she's who I want to be but I don't have the guts to do it," Raisa said.

The 33-year-old Grown-ish actress also has developed a connection with her on-screen BFF, Duff, telling ET that if feels like the pair has "already known each other for years."

"It is so much fun," Raisa gushed. "I mean she is so professional, and just from day 1, she called me the day that I got booked to congratulate me and welcome me to the show, it was so nice and we had a really great conversation, but really just broke the ice and when we showed up at the table read, same thing, just talking as if we had already known each other for years."

Breaking the ice helped create a bond with the whole cast that's visible both on-screen and off.

"She really set the precedent for our cast, and we get along so well, and we have the best time," she added. "I think it's our favorite when we work together, because we sit and have lunch together."

See that bond in action when How I Met Your Father airs Tuesdays on Hulu.

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