Iconic actor Tom Selleck considered removing his iconic mustache for his role in Blue Bloods. In an interview with PEOPLE, the 79-year-old actor shared that he initially planned to shave it off to portray police commissioner Frank Reagan in the show’s last season.
“At that time, they had him as the New York City police chief,” Tom Selleck explains about the role. “But that’s not the top position in New York, as it’s organised.”
“I told them, I don’t think they allow mustaches, so I’ll shave it off,” the actor recalls. “But Leonard, the executive producer, said, Let me confirm with CBS. And they said no.”
Selleck mentions being frequently asked to remove his mustache in the early days of his career. “I got used to it and had to shave it off for those early roles,” he says. But then it became okay.”
Selleck’s mustache: A brief history from Magnum to in & out
Tom Selleck is famous for his iconic mustache, which can be seen in Magnum, P.I., and Three Men and a Baby. However, he shaved it off for the 1997 film In & Out, in which he played a reporter named Peter Malloy alongside Kevin Kline.
Tom Selleck remembers that the film’s director, Frank Oz, had specific ideas about how his character should appear.
“Oz asked, Could you trim your mustache? So, I agreed. Then he suggested trimming more. Eventually, he asked if I would shave it off, and I said yes.”
Tom Selleck reflects on career and Memoir with PEOPLE
Tom Selleck spoke with PEOPLE for this week’s cover story, discussing his long career in film and TV before the release of his upcoming memoir, You Never Know, set to be published this spring by Dey Street Books.
“It’s essentially the tale of a career that started unexpectedly,” he explains, referring to his beginnings in acting, which began with early roles in commercials and on The Dating Game.
Tom Selleck mentions that his memoir, which took four years to write, is largely about failing and facing constant setbacks, but sharing his story was ultimately fulfilling despite the difficulties.