Nicole Richie Jokes“ Don’t Tell Mom” ‘Inspired’ Her to Take a Trip Without Her Kids: 'Go Off, Queen!' (Exclusive)

Richie has two teenagers with her husband Joel Madden

Nicole Richie doesn’t judge the mother in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, who leaves her kids behind to take a solo trip on the other side of the world.

In fact, Richie, 42, who shares daughter Harlow, 16, and son Sparrow, 14, with husband of 14 years, Joel Madden, 45, says she was “inspired” to do the same.

“I was like, ‘Go off, Queen! I need to start doing that.’ I was like, ‘I'm stressed too. I would also like to go on a retreat, so please bring me with you,’” Richie tells PEOPLE.

Richie stars in the remake of the 1991 classic, which starred Christina Applegate as a teen who fakes her way into a job at a fashion company when her mom (Concetta Tomei) takes off on vacation, leaving her kids behind with an elderly babysitter who then dies.

Related: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Trailer: See Simone Joy Jones and Nicole Richie in Remake

In the updated version, Richie plays Rose, the eccentric but nurturing boss of the teen character Tanya (Simone Joy Jones) who pretends to be in her twenties and lands the executive assistant gig.

The role was perfect for Richie, seeing as she’s a die-hard fan of the original.

“I feel like I've seen it no less than a thousand times. I love that movie,” she tells PEOPLE. “I don't even think that I did a re-watch right before we started shooting because I think I just naturally watch it maybe, I don't know, once a year, whenever it's on.”

“I just love it. It's feel good. It takes me back. I love the family adventure. I love movies where you are just rooting for the teenager that's just trying to make her way and how all the adults feel like aliens,” she continues. “And it's just, to me, that is what just makes me feel at home and happy and cozy.”

Related: Nicole Richie Says Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden Are Doing ‘Amazing’ Since Welcoming Son Cardinal

Richie says she didn’t try to emulate Joanna Cassidy, who played Rose in the original.

“There would be no point in doing an imitation or being like, ‘I'm just going to do this and make it better’ because you just simply cannot,” says Richie, adding that director Wade Allain-Marcus “really encouraged us to bring ourselves into every character that everyone was playing.”

“It was important for me to really just keep the spirit of Rose, but know that we are watching this adult through a teenager's eyes,” she continues. “And I think because I have a teenager, I'm pretty familiar of how they look at adults, and so I really just leaned into that view of how they look at us.”

When Richie spoke with PEOPLE, her children — whom she brought to the premiere April 2 — had not yet seen the movie, but she revealed on Today April 8 that they gave their stamp of approval.

"They are teens so they’re pretty chill about it. But they were happy to be there and they did tell me I did a good job. So I was like, ‘I will take that, thank you very much,' " she said.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead is in theaters April 12.

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