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An interview with Make It Or Break It’s Ayla Kell

You may know her as elite gymnast Payson Keeler, but there's a lot more to Ayla Kell than just acting. Read what the 'Make It Or Break It' star has to say about baking, television, ancient artifacts, and her charity of choice, Imagine LA.

Rachel: Congrats on your season finale, and on a great season! What was your favorite part of the finale on Monday?

Ayla: Thank you so much. I guess I’m slightly biased, but I did love landing on one foot. That was pretty epic.

Rachel: Yeah, that was one of my favorite parts too! I also loved when Lauren came clean to Sasha. I thought that was a great moment for the show in general.

Ayla: Yeah, I thought it was a critical turning point when that happens, and also the whole thing with Nicole [Anderson] — Kelly Parker — I thought that played really well.

Rachel: I was actually going to ask you about that. I know that when I met “the Manamomster,” as your mom on the show calls  her, that kind of made me feel like I understood Kelly’s character a little more.

Ayla: Yeah — you understand where she’s coming from and how she developed into that awful person. If you have no guidance to be a good person, and you’re being led in that kind of a way, then you’re going to end up like that.

Rachel: I was wondering if you thought that the writers were on the path to making her more of a sympathetic character and working her into the main core group next season (if there is a next season, hopefully)?

Ayla: Hopefully. I definitely think that they’re starting to warm her up … they’ve added so much depth to the character. So I think they definitely gave her a little bit more to work with, ’cause we were very, very lucky to get her back. We didn’t think we were going to, with Jonas, but it worked out that we got her back. And we were so excited about it that we gave her more to work with.

Rachel: That’s great. And do you have any idea whether [Emily’s character] Chelsea Hobbs will be returning?

Ayla: I don’t know … I’m hopeful! But you never know.

Rachel: Don’t tell anyone else, but Payson is my favorite character on the show.

Ayla: Aw, thank you! That’s what my mom always says.

Rachel: Who is your favorite character on Make It Or Break It?

Ayla: Susan [Ward]’s character, Chloe Kmetko. Oh my god, I love that woman. Talk about a driven, vivacious, strong woman. She is an amazing person, and an amazing actress, which makes her a wonderful friend.

Rachel: I’ve heard that  you are a certified baker?

Ayla: Fact.

Rachel: Which is awesome, because I love to bake, but I only really do cupcakes, muffins, and whatever. What do you specialize in when you bake?

Ayla: I specialize in cakes and pies. I also make cannolis, hot lava ramekins … I can do cheesecakes, individual cheesecakes, all that stuff. But my best thing is cake.

Rachel: Have you ever considered going into business, or promoting your baking at all?

Ayla: I have, and I want to do it down the line when I can open up a restaurant and a cafe. I do [cooking] as well … everybody in my family I can pretty much openly say is a foodie … everybody is good, so I would have a full staff already.

Rachel: That would be great. And I would definitely come to the opening … even though I’m not in Los Angeles.

Ayla: [It’s] Southern style, so you can’t go wrong.

Rachel: If there was one thing that you could do other than act, and … I know you’re also a dancer, too … would baking be it, or is there even another thing that you would like to do?

Ayla: Besides being in the performing arts, I would like to be a museum curator for ancient artifacts. I like things. And I like to know a lot about random things. Like architecture — that’s something I know a lot about, so walking through a city in Italy, it’s like, “Oh! I know what designer made that just because of how the arches are shaped.”

Rachel: That’s amazing, because I have, like, no idea about architecture at all, and I’m always really impressed when people can pinpoint elements like that!

Ayla: Well, thank you! But I got more specific into furniture, and plates, and how things were hand-painted, and how you could tell what era it was from [based on] if it had shadows in the painting or not. I like that [it’s] something where you have to pay close attention to detail … I picked artifacts to become very intrigued with. So if I could work at a museum someday, that would be awesome.

Rachel: Speaking of close attention to detail … that kind of reminds me of Payson, because she seems very detail-oriented, very smart and always [having] to be her best. I’m sure you’ve gotten asked this before, but do you feel like she reflects your personality in real life, or are you different?

Ayla: Absolutely. This is the way that we’re the same. The attention to detail, the personal best, the follow-through on everything … It doesn’t matter if your arm is just out, it matters if your hand is keeping the line all the way through. I’m exactly the same way, where I will obsess and obsess and obsess until I get it right every time.

Well, Ayla Kell certainly gets it right in my book. She’s full of personality, heart, and drive, and is bound to continue to be successful at whatever endeavors life sets before her.

Photo Credit: ABC Family

3 Responses to “An interview with Make It Or Break It’s Ayla Kell”

September 15, 2011 at 3:58 PM

I read each and every single word on this page and I was just wondering if Ayla Kell other know for {Payson keeler} told you if there was going to be season becouse im like her biggest fan :) :)………Thanxs.

September 15, 2011 at 4:08 PM

I forgot about asking about if she had fun making the show and the cast if they had fun making it and that she is my idol thanxs agian :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :).

September 16, 2011 at 12:01 PM

to be frank, she is ultra-focused like she would say. Can she actually accommodate someone who is somehow distracted? It’s very necessary cos that’s a leadership quality which she actually lacked in her show. You know in this life we meet a lot of people of diverse characters and the ability to handle them well makes us exceptional. She really needs it cos she is a leader in the making.

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