Sound of Music Star Carrie Underwood on Hate Tweets & Why She Wouldn’t Twirl on the Mountains in Salzburg

The Sound of Music Live! broadcast is only a few short hours away, and Carrie Underwood has a public service announcement: She’s not Julie Andrews. This might seem obvious (the original Sound of Music movie legend is now 78 and decidedly not a country singer) but Underwood, who will take the stage as Maria in the telecast December 5 (tonight!) has been getting not-so-nice tweets from diehard Julie Andrews fans. “I know I’m not [Andrews],” the star explained to Entertainment Weekly. “I would never pretend that I was. I know my place, you know?”

Despite the fact that the American Idol champ is not a carbon copy of Julie Andrews (just get over it guys), she’s doing everything she can to prepare for her role as the Von Trapp’s beloved governess—including taking a trip to Salzburg, where the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical takes place. “It was such a beautiful town,” Underwood said. “We took the ski lift to the tops of these gorgeous mountains where you could just see everything. It was beautiful.”

But there’s one thing Underwood wouldn’t do in Salzburg: Twirl like Maria. “I thought people would be like, ‘What’s the crazy lady doing twirling at the top of a mountain?’” she said, noting that it was just “nice to take in the vibe.” Come on now, Carrie, WWJAD? You know she would have twirled.

See Underwood (not Julie Andrews—just so we’re clear) in The Sound of Music Live!, tonight on NBC!