Bring It On Star: Gimme a... Break!

In the lavishly choreographed opening sequence of last year's surprise high school hit Bring It On (now available as a rental), Lindsay Sloane looked like she had been raised by the Laker Girls on a steady diet of Busby Berkeley musicals and Paula Abdul videos. But in reality, the actress can scarcely think about her experience playing Big Red, the catty cheerleading captain who relinquishes her pom poms to Kirsten Dunst, without getting sore — literally.

"Cheerleading uses muscles you never even knew you had," she tells TV Guide Online, almost groaning. "And the worst part was having to smile on top of it all... having to look like I knew what I was doing and was enjoying myself when I was actually terrified and trying to remember every dance step."

Thankfully, Sloane has had an easier time with her regular role on the WB's unexpectedly satisfying Beverly Hills, 90210 spoof, Grosse Pointe — and not just because her alter ego, guileless ingenue Marcy, exudes an irresistible perkiness that closely resembles her own, either. Her character on the primetime soap-within-the-sitcom is a pep squad member who has spirit, yes she does... and also two left feet. "I've never been a cheerleader," says the former Sabrina, the Teenage Witch co-star. "I was acting my whole life, so I never had the time.

"Part of it might also have been a lack of coordination," she adds, giggling. "But I think I faked it pretty well in Bring It On."