Donnie Wahlberg Praises ‘Blue Bloods’ Co-Star Tom Selleck – ‘I Call Him Dad’

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Donnie Wahlberg Tom Selleck

Tonight is the premiere of the final season of the beloved television show “Blue Bloods,” which has been running on CBS since 2010. In preparation for this, the “Blue Bloods” star Donnie Wahlberg is opening up about the strong bond that he shares with his co-star Tom Selleck, who has become a father figure to him both on and off the screen.

Wahlberg’s Bond With Selleck

“Tom Selleck, I call him Dad,” Wahlberg, 54, told Fox News. “At first he was kind of a little thrown by it for the first season or two, he’d be like, ‘Oh, hey, Donnie.’ Now it’s like, we’ve gotten so close.”

“He’s literally like, ‘Oh, hey, son, how are you doing today?'” he continued. “It’s like we’ve just become a real family, and it’s going to be a lot to not be with [them] anymore, but I’m sure we’ll stay connected after the cameras aren’t rolling.”

Wahlberg went on to describe what it’s like to work on a show with an “icon” like Selleck, who rose to fame starring in “Magnum P.I.” in the 1980s.

“Tom, you know, in many ways, he is an icon. First of all, you know, when you think about television and how many people have had two series – two TV series – with this level of success, there were very few people in television history who have had two long-running, majorly successful television shows,” Wahlberg explained. “You can count them probably on one hand, and Tom Selleck is one of them.”

‘Blue Bloods’ Cast Has Become ‘A Real Family’

Wahlberg also said that the rest of the “Blue Bloods” cast has become “a real family” after filming together for fourteen years.

“The cast and the crew – there’s something about coming to work every day in New York with this crew that we have, many of whom have been here for the entire 14 years,” Wahlberg said. “They’re just incredible to work with. The cast is phenomenal. They’re like a real family.”

The cast and crew have gotten so close that Wahlberg is having a difficult time imagining not filming with them anymore.

“We’ve been through so much together that the thought of not coming to work with the people I’ve worked with for so long, it’s going to hit me in the heart at some point soon,” he admitted. “I’m really enjoying the ride right now and trying not to go there emotionally.”

Related: Tom Selleck Pays Tribute To ‘Blue Bloods’ Co-Star Treat Williams After He’s Killed In Motorcycle Accident

Selleck Not ‘Ready To Say Goodbye’ To ‘Blue Bloods’

Last month, Selleck opened up about how difficult it is for him to see “Blue Bloods” come to an end.

“CBS will find an awful lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye to it,” the 79 year-old star told TV Insider. “The show’s more popular than ever, and I think [numbers] will increase with the interest this year. We’re certainly not out of ideas.”

“I’m not counting the days so I can do something else. I love the work,” he added. “Sometimes the hours are a little harder because I’m older, but so what? I want work as long as they’ll have me.”

Selleck also talked about his iconic “Blue Bloods” character Frank Reagan, saying that “he picks fights because he’d like somebody to take the weight of this responsibility [off] his hands and fire him. But he has a hyperactive sense of responsibility and he’s stuck with it.”

Full Story: Tom Selleck Breaks His Silence About End Of ‘Blue Bloods’ – Not ‘Ready To Say Goodbye’

“Blue Bloods” is set to air the first 10 episodes of its 14th and final season starting tonight. The last eight episodes of the series are expected to air in the fall.

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