Rita Moreno Remembers Kids 'Yelling' Her Electric Company Catchphrase 'Constantly': 'Principals Wanted to Kill Me' (Exclusive)

Rita Moreno remembers her days in The Electric Company fondly — and so do the show’s viewers.

While chatting with PEOPLE ahead of her guest appearance on Mayan and George Lopez’s sitcom Lopez vs Lopez, the 92-year-old actress recalled her six-year stint on the educational program of the 1970s. 

As a cast member, Moreno participated in sketches to help elementary school students develop their reading and grammar skills. One of her recurring characters, Millie the Helper, became known for the show’s iconic catchphrase, “Hey, you guys!” — which was later incorporated into the opening credits.

Millie’s famous yell was eventually heard in schoolyards across the country. Moreno tells PEOPLE that when the series began, “kids would be yelling that up and down the school halls.”

“All the principals of public schools wanted to kill me,” she quips. 

The Electric Company is one of Moreno’s many roles that she’s often recognized for in public. When she walks to her table at a restaurant, someone at the bar might shout Millie’s catchphrase, which “tickles” her to this day, she adds.

“We were a bunch of immensely talented people who put their careers aside, in a way, to help young children learn how to read,” says Moreno, who won a Grammy for best children’s album with The Electric Company soundtrack. 

What she and the other cast members — including Morgan Freeman — didn’t expect was that the show would reach more than just children.

“A lot of grown-ups would watch it who didn't know how to read in English,” the West Side Story star says. “That was a side effect that none of us had even planned on, but it was thrilling.”

The accomplished actress also partook in other children’s programs throughout her career, making guest appearances in The Magic School Bus and Disney’s Elena of Avalor. Most notably, she voiced international thief Carmen Sandiego in the ‘90s series Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.

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Moreno’s iconic 70-year career includes two Emmy Awards, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, making her one of 27 people to achieve EGOT status. 

As for which award means the most to her, the actress hasan immediate answer: “It has to be the first one, which was the Oscar for Pete's sake. I mean, how can you not, right? How blasé can you be?”