I wasn't a huge fan of the franchise only because I wasn't that exposed to it. I had heard of it of course but hadn't really watched it much. But when my agent asked me to watch the movie before I decided on going to the audition - it took about 5 minutes for me to say "yep I want that audition"!
Now, I'm so proud to be part of the franchise. It's like getting to be part of a very cool club.