Make It or Break It's Cassie Scerbo: Mean Girl Lauren Is "Crying Out for Love"

For Make It or Break It's Cassie Scerbo, playing the mean girl is fun, but she's glad viewers will get to see a more vulnerable side to her character Lauren by the end of the season. "A lot of people look at her like she's so crazy, but she's crying out for love," the 20-year-old tells TVGuide.com. "By the end of the season people are going to understand Lauren a lot more." As Season 2 wraps up, teen gymnasts Lauren, Kaylie (Josie Loren), Payson (Ayla Kell) and Emily (Chelsea Hobbs) are getting closer to making their Olympic dreams come true, but there's no shortage of boy drama, serious health issues, and acts of betrayal at their training center, The Rock.

TVGuide.com: Will Lauren continue to be the resident mean girl at The Rock?
Cassie Scerbo: She doesn't enjoy hurting people. I just think she puts up all these walls, and she's such a vulnerable girl that she can't help but to act impulsively. She has this weird complex due to her mom betraying her and her father at a young age and abandoning them. It made Lauren and her father band together and form an alliance, almost an unhealthy relationship. They just want to win, win, win. I'm pretty sure a lot of people look at her like she's so crazy, but she's crying out for love. She just wants Summer (The Rock's manager) to be her mom, [and] Carter to be her boyfriend. By the end of the season people are going to understand Lauren a lot more.

Make It or Break It star: "We have to train our butts off"

TVGuide.com: Does something happen to cause Lauren to change her ways?
Scerbo: Something really huge happens in episode 9 for Lauren that's going to change her entire life. You will absolutely see an extremely vulnerable side of Lauren. What happens to her is really shocking and she winds up having a complete change of heart. The next half of the season is going to be an interesting road for her. I think a lot of people are going to truly feel for her.

TVGuide.com: Are the girls going to confront Kaylie about her recent excessive working out?
Scerbo: As much as [Lauren] and Kaylie have this weird sisterly bond and competitive relationship — Lauren wants a gold medal, Kaylie wants the boyfriend — Lauren loves Kaylie almost as much as she loves her dad. She has no sisters, she doesn't have a mom, she's at the gym 24/7, the coaches are male... all she has is Kaylie. Although they go through so many struggles and challenges, Lauren would do anything for Kaylie. She'd never want to see her health at risk.

TVGuide.com: Do you enjoy playing the mean girl?
Scerbo: I love playing Lauren. I get to go on set every day and completely let go of any stress going on in my own life and completely throw it into my character. Acting's all about stepping out of the box, so I don't want to go to work every day and play Cassie Scerbo at all. I just want to play this crazy character, and as my career develops, I want to play way more insane characters -- good characters, bad characters, wherever the road takes me. Especially being on a series where we're there about eight months out of the year, I need that spicy character to play, otherwise I would get bored.

VIDEO: Make It or Break It star previews a big change for character

TVGuide.com: Can you relate to Lauren at all?
Scerbo: I can relate a little bit with each character except for Lauren — besides the fact that she's just really passionate. Emily maybe seems quiet and soft-spoken, but she has an edge to her that I definitely find in myself. Peyson is very focused. Whatever I do in life, my parents always taught me to focus on that, and they never let me quit. She doesn't give up on her dreams.

TVGuide.com: What's it like to be on such a female-driven series?
Scerbo: I love being on a show that's about girls with a dream and passion, not just strutting around school with crushes. It's a family show, yet it's cool enough for girls, and the guys want to watch it because it's four girls in a leotard. It's athletic and sports-related, and it's not so dirty where young girls can't listen. The whole situation with Kaylie is so sad, but the truth is it's the reality. We're showing what's really going on and what gymnasts go through, but we're not glorifying it. There will be consequences for everyone's actions. If you have a show with no truth behind it that doesn't show the gritty side to things and how to get through them, then kids aren't going to learn.

Make It or Break It airs Tuesday at 9/8c on ABCFamily.