The Cast of ‘SEAL Team’ Is Hiding a Real Navy SEAL
It’s not often that TV shows about real first responders or military officers cast people with real-life experience in those roles. But it makes sense, since actors can best convey the emotions needed to tell a story and develop a character. But what if an actor actually had those experiences? Taylor Sheridan did this with his character Travis Wheatley on Yellowstone (Sheridan himself was a cowboy before becoming a filmmaker), proving that it’s possible. But before Sheridan showed up in a cowboy hat on Yellowstone, SEAL Team made headlines for casting a real Navy SEAL as part of the show.
What is ‘SEAL Team’ Really About?
Developed for television by Benjamin Cavell based on an idea from former Navy SEAL Mark Owen, whose titular star sports a David Boreanaz helmet in honor of the real-life SEALs they represent, SEAL Team details the lives of the members of Bravo Team, both on and off the battlefield. One of the most impressive parts of the CBS-turned-Paramount+ series is the show’s commitment to accurately portraying the complex lives of men and women who serve in the U.S. military—specifically, how the show deals with the hardships and traumas of combat, and how soldiers can bring those things home with them. “One thing that makes our show a little more interesting is the fact that it follows family life,” Owen, who is also an executive producer on the show, explained in a SEAL Team special. “I lost a lot of friends in combat, but I also lost a lot of friends to suicide and had to deal with things when they came home. It took a lot of sacrifice, and that’s really why I think this show is so successful…” SEAL Team is committed to highlighting these struggles, and that’s part of the reason for Clay Spenser’s (Max Theriot’s character) complex and heartbreaking storyline in Season 6. SEAL Team’s commitment to authenticity shows up in many ways, one of which is hiring real veterans as crew members who can help navigate the subtleties of combat on set. One such crew member is Mark Semos, a former Navy SEAL who played John “TJ” Monero in the second season of the long-running series. Starting his Hollywood career as a stuntman, Semos landed a job as a stunt coordinator on Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor, which opened the door to a unique opportunity. “A few years later, I had the opportunity to work on the pilot episode of the SEAL Team TV show, where the production initially brought me in as a Consulting Producer and now I’m a Writing Producer on the show,” Semos told ATRG in 2020. Working behind the scenes as a writer and producer on the series, Semos helped shape Bravo Team’s story based on his own experiences as a SEAL. He even returned to the screen in the Season 6 episode “Fair Winds and Following Seas” as Devgru OP #6, albeit briefly. “The authenticity of SEAL Team is really a team effort,” Semos later explained. “It all starts in the writers’ room, and every writer works hard to maintain standards and still tell the stories that we need to tell. Then, on set, that effort continues with our directors and actors, all trying to maintain standards. Tyler Gray often holds his own on set. The other guy Semos mentioned, Tyler Gray, is a former US Army Delta Force commander and Army Ranger who worked his way up to the SEAL Team as well as having a lot of combat experience, and after being injured in combat, he was forced to take a medical leave of absence, which eventually led him to Hollywood. “It completely changed who I thought I was,” Gray told the Los Angeles CBS affiliate. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the industry, I just knew I wanted to work in the industry.” Gray eventually transitioned from a purely advisory role on the show to a recurring role as Bravo Team member Trent Sawyer, who has appeared in all six seasons. From there, he even became a director with the Season 3 episode “Unbecoming an Officer.”
