Beverley Mitchell shares why she has 'the most respect' for the military
Beverley Mitchell, who played Lucy Camden on '7th Heaven' for 11 seasons, recently appeared on FOX's new show, 'Special Forces'
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Beverley Mitchell has a newfound respect for the men and women in the military.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Mitchell spoke about her experience participating on the new FOX show, "Special Forces."
The survival show highlights celebrities as they go through the physical and mental anguish of surviving grueling training from top-tier military agents in the middle of the desert.
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The actress explained she has "always had such respect for the military" and has "always been impressed" by their "resilience" but was "humbled" by her experience on the show, saying it "was unlike anything (she'd) ever experienced."
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"I have the most respect for them, and even when they were hard on us …. everything they say is calculated. There is a reason. If they're calling us out or even if they call us names or whatnot, there's a reason," she said. "They're trying to bring us to a space in which we have to truly evaluate ourselves. It's literally like having a crash course in therapy, but it's, like, accelerated. It's very fast."
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The star explained she only got a small taste of what the men and women in the military endure, saying she was able to "tap out" when she felt tired and "take a break," something they are not allowed to do.
"It's a special type of person who can handle the pressure that they are constantly under," Mitchell noted.
Although the challenges on the show involved putting her body through a lot physically, Mitchell explained the experience also had a deeper impact on her mind and how she views the world, realizing "it doesn't necessarily serve (her) to be a people pleaser."
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"The reality is I'm never going to do my job good enough because I'm never going to be good enough for everyone," she explained. "So I have to change that conversation and realize that I'm good enough for me, and if I'm not someone's cup of tea, then that's OK too. And just to truly own who I am and what I've done."
Mitchell needed all the support she could get while on the show, calling the experience "100 percent the hardest thing I have ever had to do." Coming from her, that means a lot because she's "had three kids via C-section" and "each one of those was hard as hell, but this was harder."
As for her support system, Mitchell says her "7th Heaven" co-star Jessica Biel was rooting for her.
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"She was, like, doing all of her best to try to help me, make sure that I was OK. So Jesse has been along the ride from the get-go of me going. And so it was really fun for her to be able to really see what I did," Mitchell said. "She's like, ‘I still cannot get my head around the fact that you actually did it.’ She's like, 'You are so freaking bada-- and, coming from her, like, it means a lot. To have that support, it just means everything. I mean, she's like my sister."
Mitchell also had the support of her children, explaining one of the funniest things to come out of her experience on the show was watching her kids react to her new talents. According to Mitchell, if you asked her children before the show premiered, they would have said "Mommy can't climb a mountain," admitting they would not have been wrong.
She thinks "they've been pretty impressed" by all the new things she has picked up, saying "it's been cute" and "really neat" to be able to watch the show with them.
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"One of the biggest takeaways is the kids were also noticing, like, the other recruits, and they're like, they're like, ‘You know what? I really like Hannah [Brown] because she was good to you, Mommy.' It's nice to see them connect with these other bada---- that are out there killing things," she explained. "It's interesting to see what they're picking up on. It's not necessarily the one who wins at something. They notice other little things. They're like, ‘They were there to support you, Mommy.’ It's interesting when you step back and watch a kid's perspective."
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Aside from being able to impress her children with new talents, Mitchell walked away from the show with many new friendships, saying she got close to soccer player Carli Lloyd, Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin and Hannah Brown from "The Bachelorette."
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"There's some who are just naturally better at texting and being in contact than others, but we have a group chat, and we still connect and check in on each other. It's been fun because we celebrate not just the show but, like, other things that people have going on," she said. "It's nice to kind of see us all have that true genuine joy for each other. We want to see everybody succeed."
One person who Mitchell did not bond with was "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kenya Moore. Mitchell explained that "your bonds become accelerated, so your friendships become super tight," and the same is true when you start off on the wrong foot with someone.
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Giving more context to their fight, Mitchell explained that although the respect between them was there, it was "pretty clear from the get-go" she and Moore "weren't meshing all that well." And, after a night of no sleep due to them being on "night watch," they were both a little on edge.
"It is hard to kind of make up for that. But, at the same time, as we did it, we handled it, and we got it done. And, you know, she's a bada-- woman. She is tough as nails, and you cannot break her," Mitchell said. "I was very impressed by all that Kenya did out there, and her daughter should be incredibly proud because she was awesome."
Now that Mitchell is back home and has put her "Special Forces" days behind her, she acknowledged she would be willing to return for a "7th Heaven" reboot.
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According to Mitchell, she is "in constant communication with Brenda Hampton," the creator, writer and producer of the show, saying the two of them have "thought of many different iterations of how to do it."
"The big thing would be trying to find a home and who wants to do it. I know the fans would want it because they tell me every day and, of course, it would be fun to see where the Hamptons are," Mitchell said. "I would love to know how many children Lucy has at this point. And, I mean, let's just please hope it's not seven."
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"Special Forces" airs Wednesday nights on FOX.