–SO-M recently had the chance to chat with Chelsea Hobbs & Ayla Kell from ABC Family’s new show, “Make It Or Break It.” The show is a 1 hour drama that follows a group of teen Olympic hopefuls as they train and prepare for their day in the spotlight. The cast includes Chelsea Hobbs (“Lords of Dogtown”) as gymnastic newcomer Emily Kmetko; Ayla Kell (“CSI: Miami”) as top gymnast Payson Keeler; Josie Loren (“17 Again”) as the beautiful gymnast Kaylie Cruz; Cassie Scerbo (“Bring It On: In It to Win It”) as ultra competitive Lauren Tanner; and Zachary Burr Abel (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) as the gym’s resident hottie, Carter Anderson. Also in the show are Peri Gilpin (“Frasier”) and Candace Cameron Bure (“Full House”).
Check out the interview with Chelsea & Ayla below. “Make It or Break It” premieres on ABC Family, Monday, June 22nd at 9pm EST. Stay tuned for our sneak peek with the cast of “10 Things I Hate About You” later this week.
How did you get started in acting?
Chelsea: I started acting when I was eight years old. My parents were actually divorced, and my mom put me in it as a creative outlet, so I’ve been doing this since then.
Ayla:I did dance forever, and while dancing, I saw that they were looking for a little boy in an opera. I went to the opera, and that, it just clicked for me, and I’ve been doing it ever since.
What made you want to be a part of the show?
Chelsea: Well, I think that it was just a very exciting opportunity based on the fact that Olympics is – the Olympics just passed and gymnastics is something that’s always been so popular, and it’s never been done before. There’s never been a one-hour drama based on the world of competitive gymnastics, so just the whole perspective of that was very, very exciting to me, and fresh and new.
How do your characters interact on the show?
Ayla: Pretty much I’m kind of indifferent to her, to be entirely honest, because I’m so focused on gymnastics and what I’m doing. There’s so much stuff going on with her, and I really just want to train, but I’m supportive in her getting her opportunity to compete and be a part of the gym, unlike some other people.
How would you describe the show?
Chelsea: I guess I would describe it as a one-hour drama that takes place in the world of competitive gymnastics because it has everything else that all these dramas have, but it’s all based around this athletic component, which is really interesting and definitely changes all the motives and goals of every character on the show, so it’s definitely different. Yes, that’s probably the best way I could explain it.
Ayla: And the sacrifice that everyone around them has to go through.
Are you anything like your characters?
Chelsea: I think that you have to have a little bit of yourself in there. You know, I definitely can relate to Emily, maybe when I was a little bit younger. She’s coming into a new place, and the insecurities that come with that, and the toll it’s putting on her and her family, I can definitely relate to, yes, a lot of that.
Ayla: I totally relate to Payson Keeler entirely. She sees one thing in her mind, and that’s gymnastics, and I know when I was dancing, there was nothing else for me at all, that I woke up, and I stretched my feet. And now for Payson Keeler, she wakes up and just goes straight to the gym. So I agree with Chelsea in that you have to have some similarities, or you bring some of yourself to your character somehow.
What was it like working with Candace Cameron Bure (DJ Tanner from “Full House”)?
Ayla: She’s fantastic. She’s really, really great. She is so sweet and so fantastic, and really comes in and does her work. I remember the first time we all met her. We all were so star struck.
Chelsea: We couldn’t pick our jaws up off the floor. We all grew up watching Full House.
Read the full interview HERE.
Photos Courtesy of ABC Family
