Ayla Kell plays the role of Payson Keeler on ABC Family’s hit series Make It or Break It, which airs every Monday night at 9/8 Central. In quite the plot twist, Payson the star gymnast and Olympic hopeful breaks her back during competition. It clearly changes everything. It was nice to get Ayla’s take on the storyline and to gain insight into how her own life has changed by being a star on Make It or Break It.

We are seeing a very different Payson now. Could you talk a little bit about the journey Payson’s gone through so far this season?

Ayla Kell: Well, Payson has had her whole life, not just her career, her whole life stripped away from her with the injury. She’s not only trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, but trying to figure out who she is without gymnastics. It was what she woke up and thought about; she was entirely involved with gymnastics. So with it gone, she’s trying to figure out, am I anybody without it? It’s very, very less than perfect I would have to say. There’s a lot of emotion that goes with it of putting everybody else in the show through all this rigmarole.

The story line for Payson has been really emotional. Where has your inspiration been coming from for this?

Ayla Kell: My inspiration has been coming from my own life. I did ballet professionally for 14 years and I suffered a really bad knee injury that I thought was going to be entirely crippling to my career as a dancer. But, I pushed through and was able to conquer with the support of my family, my friends, my teachers. It’s really given me a great base, a place to level with Payson… it’s so true to who I am.

What is it like filming these emotional scenes?

Ayla Kell: The very emotional scenes are some of the most fun for me. I’m not a huge, like, I’m not a big crier in my own life. But for some reason, I can connect with the character and what they’re going through and just instantly be able to cry. Especially this past episode, the one you guys just last saw, it’s clearly a very heartbreaking moment, not just for me, but my family as well.

My little family unit on the show has really become like family to me. So, seeing them going through that because of me, because of Payson’s pain and because of Payson’s heartbreak from another doctor, it’s so easy to connect in. Those two, Brett and Peri make it so easy for me to be able to just sob. It’s fun. People think it isn’t fun, they think it’s like an emotional strain, but it’s enjoyable for us to film that kind of crying stuff.

That back brace looks really uncomfortable. Is it hard having to act in that?

Ayla Kell: Oh, it is so uncomfortable! It is awful! I think it pushes on my liver or something. It is just not good. But, it makes it very easy to be in back pain, I’ll tell you that much. I’m not pretending to be in back pain. I made Peri put it on once and she was, like, “How do you breathe in this? This is awful!” Yeah, that’s what I’m doing every day.

Now that your character is injured, do you still have to train with the other girls on the show?

Ayla Kell: Heck, yeah, I do. The only problem is usually our shooting schedules will be a little mish-mashed. So I train with them when I can, but when I can’t, they have me training all by my lonesome, which is no fun, let me say! And they kind of have encouraged me to keep training outside of work as well, so I’m still keeping up my regimen.

We’ve seen flirting between Payson and Nicky. Are we going to see that relationship develop into something more?

Ayla Kell: It definitely does develop, but then, as always, something has to go wrong. I’m not going to blame anybody, but I’m definitely going to say it probably is Lauren’s fault because she messes up all relationships.

Speaking of, is it kind of awkward working with Cody who plays Nicky? Especially since Cassie who plays Lauren is dating Cody in real life.

Ayla Kell: You know I really thought it would be and I actually told her, “Look, we’re so close, I don’t want this to be an issue.” And she was like, “There’s nobody else I would want it to be other than one of you girls, because I trust you guys so much.” She was there for most of the scenes that we were doing. The whole big kiss thing? She was there for that. It was weird at first, and then, it was like, eh, it’s Cassie. She’s cool.

What’s it like to work with Peri Gilpin?

Ayla Kell: Amazing. She is such a wonderful, wonderful person and such a wonderful actress. I always watched Frasier, I have seen every single episode, and when they told that they had cast her as my mom, I almost passed out.

And then when I met her, I was so quiet! I’m not a quiet person at all. I’m very loud and outgoing, but when I met her I was like so quiet and reserved. It was like meeting somebody I looked up to for years and years and years. As I’ve gotten to know her and have this relationship with her, it’s so surreal to me to go to work and I go “Hi, Mom.” You know, we just have a conversation and then every once in a while I’ll look at her and be like, “My God, I am talking to Roz from Frasier!” That’s amazing!

Have you learned anything from playing Payson that you’ve applied to your own life?

Ayla Kell: Most definitely, I have. I get a lot of “mom” speeches from Peri. I actually listen to them while we’re doing scenes, and actually taking in the information and the things that she says about how there’s other things in life and there’s other things to be proud of.

I’m naturally a curvy woman and she actually gave me a whole speech on there’s nothing prettier than a strong, powerful woman. It was stuff that really hit home with me, it was stuff I listened to, I absorbed. I felt like it has made me a better person. It has definitely helped me grow up during the show because I have “mom” speeches all the time. It’s so much fun.

How has the success of Make It or Break It changed your life?

Ayla Kell: It’s changed my life in a lot of ways. I feel as though it’s given me the opportunity to help people who have helped me throughout my entire life. It’s given me the ability to help my friends in that I always am hosting their shows and because I have so many artist friends it’s a hard road to take, even for actors a lot times, it’s a hard road to take. So it’s given me such a great opportunity to be able to pay back a little bit of my debt with my friends and how much they’ve supported me through my life.

Especially, my mom and my dad, it’s given me such a wonderful ability to be able to take them out to dinner, and to be able to do stuff for them. I totally spoiled them this past Christmas. They kept going, “We have to take this stuff back! You’re giving us too much!” I was like you’ve given me so much my entire life. One Christmas is not going to hurt. So, it’s changed my life definitely for the better. I mean, it’s great working. I love working. So, it makes me so happy to have a job.

Watch the plot unfold on Make It or Break It Monday nights at 9/8 central on ABC Family or catch episodes on ABCFamily.com.