Rachael Leigh Cook Says 'Awesome' Josie and the Pussycats 'Missed the Mark' with Its Marketing

Universal Pictures/ Everett Tara Reid, Rachael Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson in Josie and the Pussycats

Twenty years later, Rachael Leigh Cook is looking back on Josie and the Pussycats with fond memories as she gears up to bring a "new Josie" to life.

The actress is reprising her lead-singer character from the 2001 film for an upcoming Archie Comics-themed episode of Robot Chicken, telling PEOPLE that revisiting Josie has been her favorite experience working on the show and that she was "flattered" to be invited to participate by co-creator Seth Green, who appeared in the movie.

As for the "awesome" Josie and the Pussycats film itself (which didn't perform well at the box office, but is a cult classic today) Cook, 41, admits she's "surprised" by its enduring popularity.

"It definitely took a second," she says. "We all loved the movie we made, but sometimes movies don't make money. It's just a business ... but it does do my heart good to know a movie that meant so much to me and the other girls when we made it is now resonating with other people."

Cook starred as frontwoman Josie McCoy while Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid appeared as her bandmates Valerie Brown and Melody Valentine, respectively, in the big-screen adaptation of the Archie Comics series and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.

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Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Rosario Dawson, Rachael Leigh Cook and Tara Reid in Josie and the Pussycats

Rachael Leigh Cook

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A satire of fame, commercialism and the music industry, the film followed the titular rock trio as they reach their big break, only to discover that their music is a pawn for a sinister plot of subliminal advertising.

While the She's All That actress has "no idea" whom to thank for the movie's resurgence in popularity, she jokes, "If I did, I would probably be killing it in the marketing game right now, because I could have done things differently when the movie initially came out."

"I think they just missed the mark in terms of who they were trying to sell the movie to," she adds. "I think they tried to sell it to tweens and hopefully their parents, when really they could have aimed for a more grown-up audience, even though the movie is safe for kids to watch."

Cook says she, Dawson, 42, and Reid — who recently reunited over Zoom for Josie and the Pussycats' 20th anniversary — don't get together often today, but she recently "had a three-and-a-half hour catch-up over lunch" with Reid, 45, during which they "ordered all of the things" and "had a very epic download on the last 20 years."

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Cook is stoked to return to Robot Chicken for The Bleepin' Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special, having appeared on the show many times before. And it's always a new experience.

"You never know what you're getting into when you go to record Robot Chicken, especially because things can be in the script and you can end up screaming something else at the top of your lungs that you never thought you would say out loud, let alone in a recorded, going-to-be-heard-everywhere space," she says. "What I love about working on that show is that it always pushes you out of your comfort zone and you're always going to do something memorable and totally ridiculous."

As for Green, 47, and co-creator Matthew Senreich, "They are reprising the Riverdale world in a way that only Robot Chicken can, and if you're a fan of the show, you cannot miss this special," Cook adds.

The Bleepin' Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special airs Sunday at midnight ET on Adult Swim.