Former Disney stars say childhood fame emboldened them for hit military show ‘Special Forces’

Disney stars Christy Carlson Romano and Kyla Pratt started their Hollywood careers as children, which they feel gave them an edge for some intense physical challenges.

“I think we read the space around us very quickly 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 to let people down. I think when you grow up in this business, there’s a different pressure that puts on you and you say, ‘No, I’m going to do it.’ I’m going to make it happen, I’m not going to be the one to ruin it,” Pratt added. “So it was kind of the 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.

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Kyla Pratt, left, and Christy Carlson Romano told Fox News Digital that their experiences as child actors helped them survive the challenges of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” (JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)

“One thing I want to say about Kyla and so, I think, myself, that we are really fully committed to this. And then we left it at that. You know we left it in Wales and we gave it our 200%. Yes. And I think… we’re proud of what we did,” Romano said.

The cast faced challenges administered by British special forces, including navigating the rugged terrain of Wales, exercises in the freezing sea and even a hostage rescue scenario.

WATCH: FORMER DISNEY STARS EXPLAIN HOW CHILD MANAGEMENT PREPARED THEM FOR ‘SPECIAL POWERS’

As a fan of the show, Romano 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’re really a lot more resilient than people realize over. And I actually always root for us, like every season.”

Pratt said people often complimented her by saying, “‘You’re so ordinary like you’re good. You turned out okay’.”

Carlson Romano said child stars “are a lot more resilient than people realize.” (Pete Dadds/FOX ©2025 FOX MEDIA LLC)

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“And I was like, yeah, but I feel for those who were going to experience a different journey, you know? So we took some things in and learned from them and didn’t let them affect us negatively, you know?” she continued.

That positive attitude helped Disney alumni bond with their castmates to get through the challenges.

“We really are a lot more resilient than people realize.”

— Christy Carlson Romano

“Being put together with all these different people from different walks of life, and then you go through this experience that as soon as we experience something that was similar together, it was like, okay, we all got each other. , we had each other’s backs, Pratt said.

“This is about teamwork,” said Romano, who also noted that “Special Forces” is not a competition show. “A lot of the things you do on this show is about bringing each other up so everyone can succeed. And yes, you lose people along the way, and it’s really kind of sad because that’s how your family starts. die.”

Romano said “Special Forces” is not a competition show, but instead focuses on “educating each other so everyone can succeed.” (Pete Dadds/FOX ©2025 FOX MEDIA LLC)

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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 competed in motocross for years, embraced the opportunity to push herself physically after having to take a step back recently.

“I’m still lucky enough to ride motocross for a living, but I’ve had to tailor back to the level that I’ve been riding since probably my early 20s because of physical injuries and just — nobody can cheat dad time,” he told Fox News Digital. “So this was a great experience for me to get back into a situation where I can just put it on the line. I can put it all out there, go 100%, because for so much of my life I can’t physically do that. longer in my daily work.”

Hart, husband of singer Pink, had his meniscus repaired last November and had spinal and neck surgery a few years ago.

Carey Hart, who is married to Pink, took the opportunity to be on “Special Forces” to challenge herself physically after taking some steps back from her motocross career. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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“I tend to do wild things and off-the-wall experiences, and my wife takes them in stride,” he said.

But she supported his decision to join “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’re an idiot, but I support it.’ And you know, ‘Get through it in one piece,’ because she’s been along for 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 that Hart noted was “calculated”.

Hart joked that his wife is “calculated” in her aerial concert tricks while he is “ruthless”. (Getty Images)

Hart said that Pink has “been along for the ride for many, many injuries that I’ve sustained and recovered from.” (Pete Dadds/FOX ©2025 FOX MEDIA LLC)

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“She’s calculated, I’m ruthless,” he said with a laugh.

Stephen Baldwin joked that his own wife would just “call me an idiot” for doing “Special Forces.”

“I tend to do wild things and off-the-wall experiences, and my wife takes them in stride.”

– Carey Hart

“My wife talking to me about whether or not I should do ‘Special Forces’ is very different, simply because we’ve been together for 35 years. So there’s a lot more history of my craziness and my adrenaline junkie -activity. But without a doubt, by far, the ‘Special Forces World’s Toughest Test’ for me was life-changing.”

Baldwin, who has been open about his faith, called it a “tremendous asset” to have him on the show.

Stephen Baldwin said after being with his wife for 35 years, “(T)here’s quite a bit more history there about my craziness and my adrenaline junkie activity.” (Pete Dadds/FOX ©2025 FOX MEDIA LLC)

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“I’m a super faithful guy, and every day I get up and read my Bible, and thank God, because there was nothing to prepare me for ‘Special Forces’. Can I have an amen?” he said with a laugh.

“This was definitely one of those things where you know, going in, you don’t talk to anybody. You don’t talk to your family, you have no communication. It’s total lockdown. To me, all things are possible, the Bible says that all things are possible when you have strong enough faith, having my faith was a tremendous asset.”

Baldwin called his faith “a huge asset” for the show. (Pete Dadds/FOX ©2025 FOX MEDIA LLC)

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“Special Forces World’s Toughest Test” premieres Jan. 8 on Fox.