Pregnant Cassie Steele Reflects on Iconic “Degrassi” Moment 20 Years Later as She Approaches Motherhood (Exclusive)

Cassie Steele played Manny Santos on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" from 2001 to 2010

Cassie Steele is glowing as she looks back at a character she grew up alongside, all while preparing for a new adventure.

The actress and musician, 33, is currently expecting her first baby, an exciting milestone that comes 20 years after she stepped into the center of the ensemble cast of Degrassi as her character, Manny Santos, started coming into her own as a woman — a turning point for both the show and the character.

"It's definitely a lot of big feelings and emotions with the pregnancy. I'm trying to get so much done before baby comes but looking back at Degrassi has been a really fun break away," she tells PEOPLE.

In an iconic season 3 episode titled "U Got the Look," Manny decides to go for a more mature look, sporting a blue thong later christened "the whale tail" and starting a trend for a whole generation. What fans — who have paid tribute to the iconic moment in Halloween costumes, TikToks and memes in the years since — don't know, however, is that the moment was inspired by real life.

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"I was the youngest member of the cast for the first few years and I remember just wanting to not be cute anymore. I wanted to be taken more seriously, be a little bit more grown up. I decided to wear a thong to one of the rehearsal days and cut to not too long later, we're sitting down at a read-through and 'U Got the Look' was born," she reveals.

"I didn't know it was even about me at first. I guess what had probably happened was that the guys on set were talking about it, and then the crew overheard and the producers and that's how it was inspired. It was very shocking to me — exciting but also really embarrassing at the time to be reading this and be like beet-red in front of this whole young team," Steele reflects.

And while she couldn't appreciate it fully as it was transpiring, Steele says "it feel really good" to look back and be a part of a moment that resonated with so many viewers.

"At that time when you're young, you feel like you're the only one. Like I was the only one who wanted to do that kind of stuff when I was that age and with the cast. I think we were all very different personalities, which is what made such a great ensemble," she says.

Adds Steele, "Some of us are lifelong friends, but ultimately it was our differences that made us friends, not our similarities. So it's nice to think that while I was going through that time feeling almost targeted sometimes with my peers . . . there were also so many people who related with it."

While Steele jokes that she's "going to have a lot to explain to my kids," she feels even better than ever about being part of a series that tackled so many challenging topics: "I think now there's a whole new appreciation for it because I realize I wasn't so alone."

"It makes me feel pretty proud. I think Degrassi was just different. It was really raw," Steele tells PEOPLE.

When asked if she thinks Manny would, too, be a mom today, Steele says that after all this time, "I feel like Manny and I have walked step-in-step a little bit."

"I do think she'd be a mom. She was probably always aspiring to be a mom, but I don't feel like she would have slowed down for anything. I'm sure she's got her own business somewhere, she's all set up," she speculates. "She's got her kids and that's that 'does it all' type of woman. She's going through that divorce, looking to marry someone younger, that kind of thing."

For Steele, her pregnancy came a little earlier than she had envisioned, happening shortly after settling down in Nashville and starting a number of projects.

"I was like, 'This year, I'm going to do it all,' I was all over the place and started so many projects. I was really overextending myself and I felt so worn out. I was just feeling so overwhelmed, so pregnancy was a really nice reset," she shares.

"I think a lot of people would agree the first trimester is the worst because not only are you dealing with all these new hormones and you're not trying to tell people so you do feel isolated, and you're dealing with having way less energy," she says. "I think dealing with that little ego death is tough but once you get through that, it's better."

Filled with confidence and optimism for what's ahead, Steele raves, "I love being pregnant and I feel like everything kind of happens for a reason."

When it comes to baby prep, Steele jokes she "read like 20 baby books within the first week of finding out I was pregnant."

"I'm definitely an 'I need to know everything so I don't get freaked out,' person," she laughs. "I'd just rather know the best course of action and what the options are for myself. I'm planning for a home birth but I also have a back-up hospital."

As she prepares to welcome her baby boy, the mom-to-be "has a few names picked out," but says she and her partner "are going to wait until we meet him to make sure it's not terribly wrong."

Steele has a few more tricks up her sleeve before baby arrives, with her band PSYCHOCANDY releasing a new EP on Halloween, alongside their live sessions video for the single, “Monster,” on all streaming platforms.

After that, she's looking forward to a slower end of the year during which she can spend a lot of time with her baby and "turn off my phone and say no to work."

"I'm busy keeping this thing alive and that's what I'm most excited about with this new adventure. In my last marriage, I was a stepmom and when I met my stepson, he was 2. We were married for a few years and that was a really special time for me," she shares.

"Obviously, this is a little bit different. In that situation, you develop love and become vulnerable with them and your life completely changes. But I feel like I learned a lot about myself and learned about how big your heart really gets when you have to take yourself completely out of the equation and put someone else first. It's a really beautiful experience and I'm excited to get to experience that again."

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