Tara Reid admitted that her history of being “bullied” motivated her to join her latest project.
In the upcoming second season of the FOX reality series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” 14 celebrity contestants take on grueling military exercises and challenges under the direction of ex-Special Forces operatives amid freezing temperatures in the mountains of New Zealand. Unlike with other reality competition shows, contestants are not voted off or eliminated. Competitors can only leave the series by quitting, being injured, becoming physically unable to continue or being forced out by one of the agents training them.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Reid said that she decided to participate in the intense series since she felt she had “something to prove.”
“I feel like I’ve been bullied a lot, you know, in my life. And I kind of wanted to do the show because I wanted people to see the other side of me,” she explained at the show’s premiere on Tuesday night at Fox Studios in Los Angeles.
Tara Reid opened up about her history of being “bullied” and how it motivated her to join “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” (Getty)
She continued, “And stop bullying me for kind of always the same things. And to let them see, you know, I’m not just this girl who’s 21 and partying in ‘American Pie.'”
“I’m 47 years old now. I’m a woman and I want them to see that I am strong, and I do have a heart and I do care. And I hope that comes across.”
Reid was one of Hollywood’s most ubiquitous It-Girls in the late ’90s and early 2000s following her breakout roles in the 1998 crime comedy “The Big Lebowski” and in the 1999 teen sex comedy “American Pie.” She went on to star in a string of films including the “American Pie” sequels, “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder,” “Josie and the Pussycats” and “My Boss’s Daughter.”
WATCH: Tara Reid discusses preparing for Fox’s ‘Special Forces’
However, Reid also became a tabloid fixture due to reports of her partying and the relentless pursuit of her by the paparazzi. The actress has previously said that she struggled to find work for years after being branded a “party girl.”
Reid told Fox News Digital that she wants people to see that she’s “not just this girl who’s 21 and partying in ‘American Pie.'” (Getty Images)
In her interview with Fox News Digital, Reid admitted that the negative attention led her to take a step back from the industry.
“I needed a break,” she said. “You know, I think everyone needs a break from something when it becomes too much.”
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Over the past few years, Reid has mounted a comeback, starring in a slew of projects, including some of which she has also executive produced or produced.
In July, the actress announced that she had joined season two of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” along with “90210” alum Brian Austin Green, “The Osbournes” star Jack Osbourne, “Vanderpump Rules'” Tom Sandoval, “Chrisley Knows Best’s” Savannah Chrisley, “Unfiltered with Kelly Rizzo” host Kelly Rizzo, Robert Kardashian’s ex and model Blac Chyna, “The Bachelor’s” Nick Viall, “Bachelor Nation’s” Tyler Cameron, “Dance Moms” alum JoJo Siwa, former NFL player Dez Bryant, NBA champion Robert Horry and Olympic athletes Bode Miller and Erin Jackson.
After becoming a tabloid fixture in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Reid said that she needed to take a break from Hollywood. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
While speaking to Fox News Digital, Reid weighed in on whether she found it harder to compete on the physically demanding reality series or navigate the world of Hollywood.
“They’re completely different,” Reid said “Navigating through Hollywood, that’s a lifelong thing.”
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She continued, “This show is just — you can’t even use the words to prepare. It is so much more than the show shows you. It is so mentally and physically…and there’s so much more than that.”
“You see camaraderie and people coming together, which is not what people think it is. Like, it’s not more of a competition. It’s more of like people are helping each other to get to the next place.”
The actress said that the experience of competing in “Special Forces” helped her “let out a lot of demons.” (FOX via Getty Images)
“And that really surprised me,” she added. “And it showed a lot of love and teamwork. And it was nice to see. And emotionally, it really took out the demons in you. So I definitely learned from it. And I had a very good experience. But it was definitely hard.”
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Despite the challenges of competing on “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” Reid explained that she found the experience cathartic and believed that her mental state had improved after filming the show.
“I felt so much better,” she told Fox News Digital. “I really feel like I let a lot of demons out. And I felt that my mind was clearer and that I appreciate things more. You know, family, everything. It was really good for me that I did this.”
