Tom Selleck confesses to being ‘scared to death’ to guest star on Friends

Across his illustrious career, Tom Selleck has shared the screen with some of the industry’s biggest names and starred in some of TV’s biggest series including in two of television’s most iconic dramas, Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods. 

He’s also recognized as one of the most iconic guest stars in Friends history via his role as Dr. Richard Burke, a love interest to Courteney Cox’s character Monica Gellar. Despite only appearing in 10 episodes across the show’s second and sixth seasons, Richard is beloved by many and is one of Selleck’s more recognizable roles thanks in part to the lasting legacy of the series.

Tom Selleck is no stranger to the world of television, which is perhaps why it’s so crazy to think he was “scared to death” when he booked his Friends guest star role.

Guest starring on Friends scared Tom Selleck to death

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Selleck reflected upon his iconic role on Friends and surprised host Kelly Clarkson when he confessed how scared he was to come onto the series and appear alongside the show’s talented ensemble.

“I was scared to death,” Selleck confessed. “I had done Taxi a long time before, but I hadn’t done a sitcom. So I was really nervous.”

As Selleck recalls, he had a less than stellar first table read — telling Clarkson, “I wasn’t amazing at the table read” — but found support in his frequent on-screen partner, Courteney Cox, who he called a big help.

Looking back, Selleck revealed that his guest arc was supposed only last three episodes and fondly recalls the incredible chemistry the cast had. “That group is just an incredible group of friends, they obviously became friends in real life as on the show and it shows.”