Former Disney stars say childhood fame toughened them for hit military show 'Special Forces’
2025-01-08
Category: entertainment

Disney stars Christy Carlson Romano and Kyla Pratt started their Hollywood careers as children, which they feel gave them an advantage for some intense physical challenges. "I think that we got to read the room really quickly around us when things were critical," Romano told Fox News Digital. "I think we knew how to blend in, be there for people. We were really compassionate a lot of times because we knew we weren't physically the strongest. We thought, we led with our emotions and our ability to connect." "We also don't like letting people down. I think that growing up in this industry, there's a different pressure that that puts on you, and you're like, 'No, I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it happen. I'm not going to be the one that messes it up,'" Pratt added. "So it was kind of that same vibe in life here." Romano and Pratt joined several other stars, including Stephen Baldwin, Brody Jenner, Denise Richards, Ali Manno, Trista Sutter, Kayla Nicole and more for "Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test," premiering tonight on Fox. DISNEY STAR CHRISTY CARLSON ROMANO SAYS CELEBRITY IS ‘EXTREMELY DEHUMANIZING,’ DEMANDS CHANGE FOR CHILD ACTORS  "One thing I'll say about Kyla and then, I guess, myself, is that we really fully committed to this. And so we left it there. You know, we left it in Wales, and we gave it our 200%. Yeah. And I think … we're proud of what we did," Romano said.&nbsp; The cast faced challenges administered by British special forces, including navigating Wales’ tough terrain, drills in the freezing ocean and even a hostage rescue scenario. WATCH: FORMER DISNEY STARS EXPLAIN HOW CHILD STARDOM PREPARED THEM FOR ‘SPECIAL FORCES’  As a fan of the show, Romano has rooted for other child stars who appeared, like JoJo Siwa, saying, "It doesn't surprise me that they've had other … child performers on this show, because we really are way more resilient than people realize. And I actually am always rooting for us, like every season." Pratt said people often compliment her by saying, "‘You're so like regular, like you're good. You turned out OK.’"  FORMER DISNEY STAR CHRISTY CARLSON ROMANO ON FINDING HER VOICE AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD: ‘I WAS FEARFUL OF LEAVING’ "And I was like, yeah, but I feel for the ones that had to experience a different journey, you know? So, we kind of took certain things in and learned from them and didn't let them affect us in a negative, you know?" she continued. That positive attitude helped the Disney alumni bond with their castmates to get through the challenges. "We really are way more resilient than people realize." "To be put together with all these different people from different walks of life, and then you go through this experience, like as soon as we experience one thing that was similar together, it was like, OK, we all got each other. Like, we had each other's backs," Pratt said. "This is about teamwork," Romano said, who also noted that "Special Forces" isn’t a competition show. "A lot of the things that you do on this show is geared towards bringing each other up so that everyone can succeed. And yeah, you lose people along the way, and it's really kind of sad because it's like your family kind of like starts to die."  CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER In addition to actors and influencers, "Special Forces" features a host of athletes taking on the show’s extreme challenges, including Landon Donovan, Golden Tate, Jordyn Wieber, Alana Blanchard, Cam Newton, Marion Jones and Nathan Adrian. Carey Hart, who has been competing in motocross for years, embraced the opportunity to push himself physically after having to take a step back recently. "I still am fortunate enough to ride motocross for a living, but I've had to tailor back at the level that I ride at since probably my early 20s due to physical injuries and just – no one can cheat father time," he told Fox News Digital. "So this was a great experience for me to get back into a situation where I can just lay it on the line. I can put it all out there, go 100%, because so much of my life I can’t physically do that anymore in my day job." Hart, husband to singer Pink, had a repair done on his meniscus last November and had spinal and neck surgery a few years ago.&nbsp;  PINK SAYS SHE WAS TOLD HAVING KIDS WOULD RUIN HER CAREER: 'HAVING A FAMILY WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME' "I have a tendency to do kind of wild and off-the-wall things and experiences, and my wife takes them in stride," he said.&nbsp; But she was supportive of his decision to go on "Special Forces." WATCH: STEPHEN BALDWIN AND CAREY HART ADMIT THEIR WIVES THOUGHT THEY WERE CRAZY FOR GOING ON ‘SPECIAL FORCES’  "She's like, ‘OK, well, this is something you really want to do. You are an idiot, but I support it.’ And, you know, ‘Go get through it in one piece,’ because she's been along the ride for many, many injuries that I've sustained and recovered from." Pink does her own impressive stunts during her concerts, flying above the audience in a harness, which Hart noted was "calculated."   LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "She’s calculated, I’m reckless," he said with a laugh.&nbsp; Stephen Baldwin joked that his own wife would just "call me an idiot" for doing "Special Forces." "I have a tendency to do kind of wild and off-the-wall things and experiences, and my wife takes them in stride." "My wife speaking to me about whether or not I should do ‘Special Forces’ is very different simply because we're together 35 years. So there's a whole lot more history there of my madness and my adrenaline junkie activity. But without question, by far, ‘Special Forces World's Toughest Test’ for me was life-changing." Baldwin, who has spoken openly about his faith, called it a "tremendous asset" to get him through the show.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "I'm a super faithful guy, and every day I get up and I read my Bible, and thank goodness, because there was nothing that was going to prepare me for ‘Special Forces.’ Can I get an amen?" he said with a laugh.&nbsp; "This was certainly one of those things where, you know, going in, you don't talk to anyone. You don't talk to your family, you have no communication. It's total lockdown. For me, all things are possible, right? The Bible says all things are possible when you have a strong enough faith. So that helped. And thank goodness, because again, this was the shock value of this and the surprise fear factor was the hardest part to get through. So yeah, having my faith was a tremendous asset."  STEPHEN BALDWIN REPORTEDLY GAVE JUSTIN BIEBER PERMISSION TO PROPOSE TO HAILEY, IS GLAD THEY SHARE FAITH "Special Forces World's Toughest Test" premieres Jan. 8 on Fox.