Hellcats Has Respect for Cheerleaders

CW’s Hellcats Has Stars Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale Showcasing Cheerleaders As Athletes

Hellcats has gotten a lot of cheers since its debut. Its wild blonde star Aly Michalka has said the CW series has shown that “cheerleading is badass. These people are athletic. These people work out like crazy because of their passion for the sport.”

Michalka praised the show for the credibility and respect it has heaped upon the athletes in the cheerleading world. She said, “These people are trustworthy people because they are there to catch you when you are flying up in the air. They have your back. When you are injured, they are there to help you out.”

Now fans can cheer that the show got a full season pick up, recently announced by Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for the CW Network.

One of the freshest of the freshman CW series this season, Hellcats puts the spotlight on the fascinating world of collegiate cheerleading. The exciting drama features a lot of dance action and follows the members of the Hellcats cheer squad. The two main characters are two very different girls, a hard-working girl Marti played by Aly Michalka, and a well-to-do girl Savannah played by Ashley Tisdale.

The actresses, both singers, share several common bonds. One is forged by the hard work they do to make it as believable as possible when playing the scenes as part of the highly competitive team of cheerleaders.

Another bond they share, Michalka explained, is that “it was a cool coincidence that we both just happened to come from a musical background and the Disney world. That was not some genius person’s idea. I think it was just that we happened to be right for these roles, and we happened to fight for these roles really hard.”

Getting back into a TV show for Aly and Ashley was great for both. Aly said, “We were so willing to open ourselves up to this, that I think it brought a freshness when we filmed the pilot. Now there is excitement and magic that has made it work.”

They’ve literally flipped over doing their own stunts, as much as they can. Michalka, recently seen in the movie Easy A, and Tisdale, who is best known for the High School Musical movies, expressed that she believes Hellcats is inspiring for its viewers, much in the same sense that Glee inspires its fans.

She believes cheerleading is a great sport and can make the high school and college experience very rewarding. And she is happy that this show is their opportunity to have that experience.

Michalka said she has really felt a thrill doing her role. “You actually feel the rush that these girls feel after a competition. It’s funny, after we filmed a big cheer number, at the end of it Ashley and I were so pumped with an adrenaline rush because we nailed the routine.”

Tisdale added that the camaraderie between cheerleaders is something special, and she’s glad for the opportunity to become part of the sisterhood with Michalka.

Hellcats is produced by Tom Welling, who plays the Superboy role in the CW’s long-running Smallville series. So the girls have a superhero cheering for them.