What it takes to convincingly play a Navy SEAL on television

What it takes to convincingly play a Navy SEAL on television
Neil Brown Jr. grew up idolizing his father, a Marine during the Vietnam era.

At one point, that admiration was so strong that he set his sights on pursuing a military career after school. But life had other ideas, pushing him into the world of entertainment. However, Brown Jr. was still able to honor his roots through acting when the opportunity came his way, appearing in the action film Battle: Los Angeles and the war film Sand Castle. After some great supporting performances, the role of his career went to Navy SEAL Ray Perry, whom he played in the Paramount+ series SEAL Team.

We chat with Brown Jr. about the unique challenges of playing a special forces operator, the gym sessions that keep him ready for action, and what it was like filming those iconic battle scenes
Before becoming an actor, you wanted to join the army, right?

My father always credited the military for making him the man he was, so it made sense for me to want to go in that direction as well. I eventually joined the Air Force ROTC and made a lot of friends in the Navy. Those programs helped build a solid foundation for my youth. I care how my uniform looks. My wrinkles can cut cheese and you can see yourself in my shoes. I really enjoy being part of such a team.
Even in college, my goal was to join the U.S. Army, enter the 1st Ranger Battalion, and eventually become a Special Forces Operations Detachment-Delta. I was so dedicated to that job that I even asked my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, to pursue a career in the military. But our plans changed after my wife got pregnant. Personally, my dad never wanted me to wear a uniform and he also didn’t want me to be a soldier. That didn’t stop me from wanting to be like my dad and I still want that. I’m lucky that I’m able to do that in some form with the series and playing Ray Perry.

What is it like to portray an operator in the Navy SEALs?

I’m not going to lie, I love jumping out of planes to go to work and I love blowing things up as much as any guy. Of course, all of these roles have heart, but there’s also excellent action. At heart I’m still a child. I must admit these programs have helped me become a better man. I’m proud to represent the best of us in many ways and show that courage is doing what you need to do in spite of fear, not in the absence of fear. I like to dive into experiences where I can learn along the way, and that’s what this program is all about: an opportunity to learn.
How do you find out everything you need to ensure the authenticity of the program?

There is a lot of training in SEAL Teams. The beauty of our production is that there are always a lot of special operators. They are ingrained in the program from top to bottom. They’re in the writers’ room, on set and serving as tech consultants throughout. There are even veterans on the show like Tyler Gray and Scott Foxx. Then there are other actors in the background, like Remi Adeleke, who I also used as a resource when preparing for Ray. So if I have any questions, all I have to do is look left or right and ask someone.

How practical is the device you are wearing and carrying?

On set, almost everything we wear and equipment we carry is authentic. The only things we actually exchanged were the plates on our vest pockets. Sometimes the NODS, or night vision devices, we are wearing may not be real. But that’s really the case for the most part. There’s about 30 to 40 pounds of gear on your person at all times, and it takes a little time to learn how to control everything. I would say that was the best way to learn, to dive in like that and it didn’t take long for us to move pretty well as a team.

What it takes to convincingly play a Navy SEAL on television Neil Brown Jr. grew up idolizing his father, a Marine during the Vietnam era. At one point, that admiration was so strong that he set his sights on pursuing a military career after school. But life had other ideas, pushing him into the world…