For actress Anissa Borrego, the opportunity to play star cheerleader Krystal in NBC’s sitcom Stumble was a dream come true. “It’s really fun on the cheer side of it,” Borrego tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview. “We’re really a team, and there’s something that comes to life with that.
Stumble follows disgraced junior college cheerleading coach Courteney Potter (played by Jenn Lyon), whose fall from grace leads her to Headltston State Junior College. At Headltston, she puts together a new rag-tag team filled with rambunctious personalities — and a lack of skills in cheer. Krystal (Borrego), a member of Courteney’s old winning team, comes in to save the day with her cheerlebrity status and skills as a flyer (not to mention her always-fully-bedazzled cheer outfits). The show is star-studded, with Kristin Chenoweth and Taran Killam in recurring roles on the series.
The Stumble set is a work-hard play-hard environment. “We all hype each other up and just bring out the best in each other, so it’s really fun,” Borrego says. Plus, the cheerleading moves aren’t so bad, either. “I have the freedom to put some spice on it,” she admits.
Her Campus talked to Borrego all about the world of cheer, getting the role of Krystal, and all things Stumble.
This Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Around 10,000 people auditioned for these cheerleader roles on Stumble. What was your initial reaction when you got the part?
My initial reaction was just so relieved and excited. I was at my parents’ house because I had a niece born that day, so I was able to tell my parents and I cried, and it was so beautiful. It was such a relief because I wanted this so bad. It connected cheer and acting, which are two things that I’ve been so passionate about in this life.
You have a background in gymnastics and cheer, which must have helped you play a cheerleader on the show. But were there any new skills you had to learn for the part?
I’m learning through this process that there are totally different styles of cheer. When I was in cheer, we did a lot of like, “hit, hit, hit,” with emotions. This style of cheer we can have a little more flavor and add your own style to the choreography, which is really fun. And it’s really stunt- and tumbling-forward.
You’re working with such established actors like Kristin Chenoweth and Jenn Lyon on the show. Did they have any advice for you on set?
You learn so much from watching them. Jenn is so focused, and she’s the best number one that we could have had. She has so much fun in the scenes, and also when we’re not filming. And Kristin is always having fun. And it really fosters an environment for play, which is great for comedy.
The show starts with Jenn Lyon’s character experiencing a fall from grace and having to rebuild her career around this new ragtag team. Have you had an experience in your career where you felt knocked down and got back up again?
Absolutely. I would say during the 2023 actor strike. I definitely feel those are difficult times to go through, but it’s such a privilege to be working right now, and I’m so grateful that not only am I working, but I’m working on the most ideal show that I could possibly be working on.
What kind of person do you think would love watching Stumble?
I think Stumble could be enjoyed by anyone because there’s so many different and lovable characters. I feel like there’s appeal for anyone — especially if you love comedy. If you’re interested in seeing some amazing cheerleading, we do real cheer in each episode. There’s always some sort of routine. So you get to see some amazing cheerleading and hopefully laugh and connect to our characters.
What have you learned about yourself personally or in your career as an actor through your time on the show so far?
One of the things I learned pretty early on is that I haven’t done as many ensemble scenes before as I have on this show. It’s really fun and interesting to discover where Krystal lives in the ensemble scenes because she is such a sparkly person.
How does working on TV differ from working in theater, on a movie set, or even voice acting like you did in Elio?
Every set is different, whether it’s film or TV or theater, because there’s just different chemistry with the different people that you’re working with. Luckily, I’ve had good experiences always, but I think particularly, this one is different because because there is so much play. Every single department is having a great time and is so kind. We have so much fun, but we also stay on track with shooting. We get a lot done having a good time.