It's hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the debut of China Beach, in which Emmy winner Dana Delany made a huge impact on the small screen as Army nurse Colleen McMurphy, a complicated character experiencing the physical and emotional horrors of the Vietnam War firsthand and elbow deep. With the complete series now available in a DVD box set just in time for its silver anniversary, Dana takes a stroll down memory lane with ETonline to talk about the show's impact, how the defining role that initially daunted her eventually changed her life -- and how she almost lost the part to Helen Hunt.

Pics: Star Sightings

"The part was originally written [as a] Midwestern girl and she had blonde hair – I think 'the color of wheat' was the description of it, because she was from Kansas -- and I didn’t look like that," says Dana. "I certainly looked wholesome, and I think...