'Make It or Break It': Josie Loren on gymnastics, Kaylie's jerk boyfriend & more

You watching ABC Family's "Make It or Break It" this summer? 

If not, sample it tonight, as the fifth episode airs and big things happen for Olympic hopeful, Kaylie Cruz.

I talked one-on-one with Josie Loren, the actress who plays her, about the girls' crazy schedules, their gymnastics routines and what's to come story-wise...

You guys are still shooting the season right now, no?
Yeah, we're going to wrap [soon], but we're shooting the last episode right now.

How's it going?
Oh, it's been amazing. Everyone is so great, it's like going to work with a big, huge family. But we are working [hard]... I was up at 3:45 this morning to be on set.

Are you actually keeping the schedule of an Olympic hopeful?
Pretty much, yeah. I mean, I was only in the first two scenes today, so I got out at 12:30, because I had a gymnastics rehearsal afterward. And in two hours, I'm going to go work out and then just go to bed so I can wake up and do it all over again tomorrow. So, we're not Olympic gymnasts, but we're actresses hoping to look like them. So, yeah, I feel like we kind of have similar schedules.

But you are having gymnastics rehearsals? Does that mean you're doing some of your own stunts?
We have gymnastics practice, just because Kaylie, at nationals, she does a beam routine and a floor routine, so we need to know the moves for that, so we just practiced that today. We have our doubles that they record [doing the actual tricks] but then they record us doing the moves leading into the trick and after the trick.

In episode 3, Kaylie does a run into a front walkover, round off into a jump where she lands on her stomach. And I do the front walk over, round off. And my double does the big jump. So I do as much as I can, as much as they let me do. You know, they don't want us to get hurt obviously.

Did you have any gymnastics training before you booked the role?
I did. I've always been very active. I was a gymnast when I was younger, but I was pretty much only good at floor. I didn't really like the beam or the bars or the vault. But I was really great at floor, so I became a competitive cheer leader and I was basically a tumbler, so I'm very well versed in that. You know, I was on like ESPN and stuff for competitive cheer leading, so I know the world pretty well.

How about your co-stars, the other girls, do they also have gymnastics backgrounds?
Not so much gymnastics, but Ayla [Kell] (Payson) is like a prima ballerina, Chelsea [Hobbs] (Emily) has some dance background, Cassie [Scerbo] (Lauren) has a little bit of a hip hop background. So nobody has two left feet. Everyone is pretty graceful and can move well.

And who are these doubles that you're working with?
These are amazing professional gymnasts. Some of them have been in the Olympics. We had a three-time national champion. In, I want to say episode 7, Payson does this ridiculous floor trick that I think only three people in the United States can do, so they flew one of the three girls in to do it, it's just spectacular.

So the gymnastics adds a whole other element to your job as an actress. And you still have to worry about portraying the actual drama... I hate to be the one to tell you, but I think your boyfriend cheated on you.
Oh, I'm well aware!

Not on the show, you're not. Not yet anyway. I assume it's just a matter of time though?
The time will come when dirt is revealed. When you do something bad, you're going to get punished for it. I really like that storyline because I think it shows young girls a lot about, I guess, the male psyche. It teaches them to be careful. Things are not always what they seem and you can be fed a lot of stories, but when push comes to shove, is a guy faithful? Is he loyal? Maybe it's best not to trust so easily.

Yes, I also like that, in last week's episode, for example, Lauren tells you girls that she's lost her virginity and it's a big deal to all of you, whereas in a lot of shows now, it's not so much.
Yeah, and the next episode, episode 5, definitely touches on that again. And I think we give a really good message of caution and making sure you're just completely ready.

That's right, in this week's episode, it looks like you and your cheater boyfriend are preparing to take a pretty big step.
[Laughs] Yeah, I have a scene with my mom about that specifically. She's kind of like, know what you're doing, do things for the right reasons, think about the consequences that can come before you make these huge decisions. I'm really proud of that.

Yes, speaking of your mom, she has an interesting storyline that was introduced in the first episode. She'd been having an affair with your former coach, Marty, no?
Yeah [Laughs]. Kind of interesting that she's giving this [particular] speech, but she does.

Do we ever get back to that storyline? Will we see Marty again?
Well, I can't really tell you if we'll see Marty again. But there will come a time when Kaylie addresses that issue with her mom.

Well, I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I hope you enjoy your time off.
Yeah, unfortunately my hiatus is really short. I'll be going back to Miami for about two weeks and then August 3rd, I start summer school at UCLA.

Oh, wow, so are you a full-time student for the summer then?
Yeah. Obviously, acting has to come first, so I'm always auditioning and if a job comes along, that's [my first priority]. Last year, when I booked "Hatching Pete" for Disney, I had to drop out of school in the middle of the quarter. But I've been really lucky, I've been able to work around shooting. You know, when I got the pilot for "Make It or Break It," they were able to move around my finals, so I got to finish and then I just took off this past quarter [to shoot the season]. So, it's just like, when I can, I'll go back and do a quarter or a summer session. I have about a year left.

That's so great that you're able to do both.
Yeah, I really enjoy it in a weird kind of nerdy kind of way. [Laughs] I actually like school!

Well, hopefully you'll be able to finish this summer session just in time for a "Make It or Break It" second season pick up.
I hope so. We would love to be back in October.

Any idea whether or not you will get that pick up?
Well, you never know. But if things continue as they have been, I think we have a pretty good shot.

Follow Zap2it on Twitter for all your movies, TV and celebrity news.

RELATED:
'Make It or Break It': You Ask, I Answer your questions on love & romance at The Rock