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"I think that sometimes networks tend to celebrate certain wins of certain shows," she told TooFab exclusively of her child star days. "So you want to be excited, but you also feel competitive because you're representing your show and your community."
Christy Carlson Romano says those who have been through Hollywood have the mental resilience for Special Forces.
In an interview with TooFab following the January 29th episode of FOX's reality series, the actress opened up about having her number snatched from her during the episode and the SAF forcing her to go home.
"I obviously got so much from the experience on the whole," she told TooFab exclusively.
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"The exit, I feel like at the end of the day, isn't as important as the entirety of the experience, right? It's their world, we're living in it. And we've given them full control over our hearts, our bodies, our minds. And it really is, there is a little bit of luck involved. Some of it is out of your control. I think that them pulling my number was in their control, but I haven't talked to Billy about it and I don't need to. He shouldn't justify if it's his course why he decided to pull my number. He knew what was right in that moment."
During the episode, Romano was seen struggling up a hill while the rest of the recruits had already made it to the top. She was told she was being a "liability to the rest of the group" and to do the "honorable thing" and throw in the towel. However, the 40-year-old did not, and the SAF decided to take her number from her, forcing her to leave the course.
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View StoryWhile she admitted to TooFab she didn't have the athleticism other recruits may have had, she did have the mental resilience which she credited to her child star days on Disney.
"I think that Hollywood kind of crafts a very competitive environment. You have to be the best and you have to be uncomfortable. I know that DS Billy has been asked about why child actors like a JoJo Siwa or anyone else could really fight through this course," she said referring to the former Dance Moms star who was a part of Special Forces Season 2.
"I think that when you have that mental resilience, in addition to the athleticism, which I lack a little bit of -- a lot of -- it's going to take you to the next day and the next moment because you're competitive with yourself."
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View StoryDisney Days
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When asked if she felt her days on Disney made her feel competitive with other child stars, she didn't share who they were but revealed networks make it easy for actors to compare each other.
"I think that sometimes networks tend to celebrate certain wins of certain shows. So you want to be excited, but you also feel competitive because you're representing your show and your community. It's a tribal thing. When you're young, I don't think you have enough ironic distance from your successes versus everyone else's. So I think that's hard to explain to a young person. Then I think you get stuck in a habit of comparison," she said.
However, after advocating for more mental health awareness within networks, Romano -- who is known for Even Stevens -- is pleased to know networks are taking note.
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View Story"I think that networks have started to do more mental health training for the new batch of young actor recruits. I think they really do try to have these pilot programs [for] trying to help them. I wish them well, this is not an easy task. I mean, this is many, many, many decades of an industry that has overlooked this element. It's fantastic that it's a part of the conversation. Clearly I've been advocating for this for a while and I'm happy I got the word out," she told TooFab.
However, one thing for sure is she will not be watching Quiet on Set, the 2024 docuseries that uncovered the toxic culture behind some of the most iconic children's shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"I know a lot of people affected by the documentary," she told TooFab. "So I don't see why I would watch a show when I can actually go to my friends or my community and say, 'Hey, are you okay?' I personally am holding space for everybody in that documentary. But at the same time, I'm not going to just say that I feel completely kindred to documentarians who aren't necessarily part of the community itself."
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View StoryChristy's Relationship with her Mom
While being interrogated on FOX's reality series, Romano revealed that she asked her mom to step down as her manager when she was younger. It's something her mom didn't know before watching the show, however the pair will be watching the episode together which Romano believes will be "healing."
"I'm a little worried because I didn't explain to her that she came up in my interrogation. I think so much happened after my interrogation that I just completely forgot about it. But I did send her a snippet that they sent me, and [a message], 'We'll talk'. I think she'll be okay. My mom is more resilient than me. I think I got that from her. And I love my mom. I take care of my mom. She knows that we're good. And there's a lot of healing that I think will take place when we watch the show together. It's going to be awkward," she said.
Watch more of our interview with Christy Carlson Romano and her experience on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test above. She also opens up about her past alcohol addiction and how her fans have interacted with her since she first spoke out about it.
The series continues on Wednesday on Fox.