Ayla Kell

Hello Ayla! How are you today?
I'm Great!

You play Payson in the hit television show, Make It or Break It. How has the whole experience been, being part of the show?
I love being on the show. It gives me such a great opportunity to work on my craft as well as be able to use my ballet technique I already had. Gymnastics is an amazing sport, and getting to shine light on a world that is only in the spotlight once every four years is such an honor to me. To every gymnast out there- I am doing my best to portray you accurately!

Your character Payson is very determined and hard-working. On what level do you relate with her?
I relate to her A LOT. I get very focused on things and will obsess until I get perfection. My mother will concur with my determination that is much like Payson's.

Ayla Kell

She is also a star athlete. Before the show, did you have any relations with competitive gymnastics?
I did gymnastics when I was 4 and have always had an obsession with the Olympics - especially gymnastics. I did ballet competitively, so clicking into a competition setting was very easy for me. Booking the show only gave me a better opportunity to see gymnastics first hand. It's such an amazing sport/art.

In the second part of the first season, Payson become severely injured and it looks to be the end of her gymnastics career. During this period, she struggles to find herself. Was it an entirely different experience to focus on a high school instead of gym mats and The Rock?
Getting to go to high school was so much fun. I love the new friends I got to make while I was there. It gave me new problems to deal with as my character because it gave her a different set of problems than just her usual gym issues. Being forced to make decisions that she wasn't used to her in her controlled environment made her question her values, which ended up winning out in the long run. She realized that trying to not care about anything wasn't who she was, and wasn't what she wanted to hang out with.

We also see during this exploration period how easy it is to become friends with the wrong people. What message do you think Payson’s exploration passes onto teenagers?

Ayla as Peyson in an episode of 'Make it or Break it'

That you choose your friends. The people around you can influence not just what you do, but also your demeanor and outlook on life. For Payson, it changed how she felt about life and gymnastics.

The second part of the first season develops a new side of Payson. How do you think it added to your character?
It built another side to Payson, giving her an understanding of her life, and how her love for gymnastics outweighed her hopelessness. It made her realize her connection to her mother as the first person to cheer her on and support her. While she was in the gym, her struggle was always to be the best at her sport. But after the injury she questioned herself, her motives, her dreams, and most of all, her love for gymnastics. Which is so much fun as an actress to play!

Ayla and her 'Make it or Break it' costars

At the end of the season, we see Payson undergo a surgery and slowly enter the world of gymnastics again. Can we expect her to be back in form for the second season?
Well, Payson has an undying passion for gymnastics and determination. I might go far enough to say she is unstoppable. I know it will be a struggle for her to ever get back to where she was as a gymnast, if she ever is capable of doing so.

At this point, there is a section in an episode which focuses on overcoming your fears. How do you overcome your fears, and how important do you think it is to live without fear?
No one truly lives without fear. But I live knowing I can overcome my fears by having confidence and the strength to be able to face fear head on with everything I got. I do that not only as an actor, but just in my every day life. The first red carpet I ever did was terrifying, but I took a deep breath, told myself it was really just putting one foot in front of the other, and smiled. I was out of breath just walking about 10 feet because I didn't take a single breath the whole time.

Ayla in a promo shoot for 'Make it or Break it'

In the first season there was some romance between Payson and Nicky. Can expect new love interests in season 2?
I think for right now she is looking forward to getting back into focusing on her career that is still hanging in the balance of the surgery. She is becoming a woman, and will have to deal with all that goes along with that. But what is always most important to Payson is gymnastics.

What are you most looking forward to in season 2?
There is always some huge twist when it comes to our show. I can't wait to see what in store for all our characters. I look forward to the hard work and perseverance that Payson and I share.