© ITV
The former Wicked actress makes her on-screen debut tonight as the "bold as brass" Alicia delivers a warning to her sister Leyla Harding (Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi).
Anderson told Digital Spy: "I'm a huge Emmerdale fan! I'm a bit of an Emmerdale geek.
"Being a Yorkshire girl, it's always been my soap of choice because it's the one that I can relate to more than anything else. My very first primary school was just down the road from a farm - at the bottom of the farm was our school."
She added: "So for me, the role just made sense because I really related to it. I've always been a fan."
Anderson admitted that she is unsure what the ITV soap's writers have planned for Alicia.
"I'm interested myself to see what the writers are going to do with the character," she said. "I think I'd definitely like to see her ruffle a few more feathers in the village."
> Click here to read our full interview with Natalie Anderson
