‘Blue Bloods’ Star Tom Selleck Once Revealed Life-Changing Advice His Dad Gave Him Before He Made It Big in Hollywood
Before landing the suave role of a private investigator in “Magnum, P.I.,” Tom Selleck was just trying to get the typical 9 to 5.
All of that would change when his career really took off in the 1980s. Soon he would have roles in “Three Men and a Baby,” “Friends,” “In & Out,” and then eventually his most popular and current role as New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan.
He partially has his father to thank for giving him that push to take on a more adventurous and challenging career.
“Look, it’s a kind of opportunity where, if you don’t give it a shot, you might get to be about 35 and wonder,” his father said to him, according to Amomama.
At the time, Tom Selleck was offered a contract position with 20th Century Fox. However, it would mean turning down a consistent salary and benefits that he was being offered elsewhere. He had been offered a management training job with United Airlines. At the time he had been in some commercials and was on “The Dating Game,” but hadn’t had a lot of acting experience.
Robert Selleck also added to make sure, “Just don’t let them change you.” Sometimes the fame, fortune, and money have a way of getting to actors. It seemed to have been one of his father’s biggest reservations.
In an interview with GQ in 2014, the publication asked if Selleck felt like he had become the man he always wanted to be. Selleck responded, “On my good days, if I’m thinking right, I try to be. That’s not always… You know, everybody screws up.”
Tom Selleck Close Bond with His Father
Regardless, Selleck always boasted the close bond he felt with his family. When his father had passed away in 2001, it took a toll on the “Blue Bloods” actor. Despite having a lot of leadership roles and being advanced in his career, he would miss the career talks with his father.
“There’s nobody to go to for fatherly advice. You’re on your own, pal. I had a great dad, and a great mom, and I could go into analysis for twenty years and not blame them for anything, so I’m very fortunate that way,” Selleck shared.
Tom Selleck shared that he can “hear him sometimes” when he talks about certain things. He loves hearing that he reminds others of his father and feels like he has a lot of similarities to his late role model.
At the end of it all, Tom Selleck considers his father a huge “advantage” in his life.
“I had two advantages. One: My dad was a risk-taker. Both my parents encouraged taking risks. So I think they instilled in me the courage to try things. And I played sports. So that taught me to work under pressure. And I’ve been fortunate to turn that into a long career,” Selleck said to Variety in 2015.
