‘She Works a Lot in the Taylor Sheridan World’: Cassie Scerbo Talks New Movie ‘The Wolf and the Lamb’, Plus ‘Make It or Break It’ Behind the Scenes (Exclusive)
The 'Sharknado' star details wanting to experience an acting challenge and some of her favorite roles
Cassie Scerbo made her mark in several popular teen dramas and films, often playing the “mean girl”—a role that usually came with a redemptive turn. More often than not, she appeared as a cheerleader, a gymnast, or the inevitable prom queen.
“For so long, I’ve felt placed in boxes because of Sharknado or my career as a younger actor with ABC Family and Bring It On,” Scerbo said in an exclusive interview with Woman’s World. “[But] all of these projects meant the world to me. They all served such an important purpose.”
Now, the actress, who is best known for Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007) and Make It or Break It (2009-2012), is ready for the world to see a new side of her.
“I feel like a lot of people still see me as Lauren Tanner [in Make It or Break It] or the Teen Spirit girl or this blonde, bubbly character, whether she was a cheerleader or a trophy wife or a gymnast,” Scerbo explained. “But no one’s really seen me dive into this other side of myself. So, it [her upcoming role] just met me right where I was in my life. I wanted to take on something very different and something that would be really challenging. And this role was extremely challenging for me.”
Scerbo is about to star in the new film, The Wolf and the Lamb, as widowed governess Jo Beckett. Set in the late 1800s in the territory that is now Montana, Scerbo’s character goes in search of her missing son. But when he returns, something sinister returns with him.
“This is my prove me moment and I said that every day as I was going to set,” the actress added. “I’m so passionate about this… this is a moment, a project, a character, I was so grateful to be given… It made me fall deeper in love with this industry and it reminded me of why I started [acting] and what I love so much, and that is to act and to step out of the box and to be challenged.”
How Cassie Scerbo created Jo Beckett
A lot went into the making of Jo Beckett, and it wasn’t just the obvious things, such as her wardrobe. Scerbo detailed her process for getting into the character, explaining that she likes to dive into their mind before filming.
“I create a diary [for each character I play] because the more that I write as that character in their mindset, the more I learn about the character,” Scerbo explained. “I started diving in and developing her backstory.”
As for how she got Jo Beckett’s accent down, Scerbo had some assistance from the legendary dialect coach, Jessica Drake.
Scerbo shared, “I mean, she created Tom Hanks’ accent for Forrest Gump, and Ana de Armas’ for Blonde and everything Christian Bale. She’s unbelievable. She works a lot in the Taylor Sheridan world, so that was an honor in itself. I worked with her for about two months just to get this accent down, because there’s not much evidence of how people sounded in that territory during that time. It’s such a specific accent.”
The Wolf and the Lamb is set for a 2026 theatrical and digital release by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Scerbo reminisces about ‘Make It or Break It’
If you frequently tuned into ABC Family in the 2010’s and watched shows like Pretty Little Liars or The Secret Life of the American Teenager, you may remember Scerbo on Make It or Break It. The actress starred as competitive gymnast Lauren Tanner, also known as “The Queen of the Beam.” Lauren was ruthless and often manipulative towards her friends and family, but by the end of the series, she had major character growth.
“I mourn Lauren Tanner,” Scerbo said of no longer getting to play the character. “I miss her. She had a really good character arc. I grieve the characters I’ve played, because I live in their shoes for a month or two months or four, five years and you mourn the loss of them when they’re gone.”
When Woman’s World asked Scerbo why she loved her role in the teen drama, the actress shared her adoration for that time in her life.
“I literally think about Make It or Break It all the time,” she said. “It was my first series as a regular, and it was just a really beautiful way to break [into the industry]. It had a really good balance: It was fun, it was young, it was juicy, it was a teen drama, but it also had a lot of layers, and the writers did a really good job at creating that.”
Scerbo added, “It was such a beautiful experience and probably one of my favorite periods of my life…we had a blast. I had so much fun shooting that.”
Make It or Break It ran for three seasons from 2009 until 2012, when it was cancelled due to a decline in viewership. But the series left off on a serious cliffhanger: The four gymnasts—Lauren (Scerbo), Kaylie (Josie Loren), Payson (Ayla Kell) and Emily (Chelsea Hobbs)—spent the entire series working towards a spot on the US Olympic Gymnastics team. By the final episode of the series, Lauren, Kaylie and Payson had learned they made it, Hobbs’ character having left the series after Season 2. So, fans were left wondering which gymnast won the gold.
As for whether or not Scerbo would go back to the beam if the opportunity arose, the actress responded with a resounding yes.
“That’s been the question that we’ve all gotten, especially the leading ladies, and we’re all, like, ‘Sign us up. Where’s the petition?’” she explained. “We need to know who won. We all have our theories.”
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