FLASHBACK: CBS3's Ukee Washington Goes Behind The Scenes With 'Blue Bloods' Television Icon Tom Selleck
This interview and story were originally published in 2016. On Friday, March 11, 2022, the CBS hit drama "Blue Bloods" will air its 250th episode. Don't miss this episode at 10 p.m. ET/PT here on CBS3 and streaming on Paramount+.
New York, NY(CBS) — Tom Selleck plays Commissioner Frank Reagan; strong, level-headed, a voice of reason and I found out behind the camera that his co-workers see those same virtues in "Selleck" himself.
They don't really make guys like him anymore," said co-star Donnie Wahlberg.
Going into this, the seventh season, the cast has wholeheartedly accepted Selleck's veteran leadership. For many of them, he is a mentor, but Selleck sees it a little differently.
Rittenhouse Square Good Samaritan, Shot 5 Times, Says He's No Hero
"It's kind of like my mentor, who never wanted to hear he was my mentor," Selleck said of James Garner. "I don't accept the mentor role. That they feel that way is, I think flattering although it adds a certain amount of pressure," Selleck explained.
Which they all seem to be handling quite well with this highly successful crime drama. Amy Carlson didn't know where the show was headed when the pilot was shot, but quietly and discreetly, she did know she was in the presence of television history with Selleck and she did something about it.
"I said 'hey Tom, lets get a picture together just in case this thing doesn't go so I can show my mom,'" Carlson explained. "He's been in the American family home for decades. People have spent time with him in their home through their TV for a long time and yet he's still a very generous person, so I think that sort of truthfulness and staying who he is, makes him so special at least to me."
And it doesn't stop with her.
"I know every day when I come to work, I have to bring my very best," Wahlberg said. "It really inspires me to do that. To push the limit of my character for the betterment of the whole show."
A show where all the performers feed off the example of a television icon
"If they want to come for advice fine. I don't see myself as a leader," Selleck said. "I see myself as part of an ensemble." A family...and he says entertaining yours at home, brings him even more pleasure.