Donnie Wahlberg says Tom Selleck has been 'great mentor'
Donnie Wahlberg says working with Tom Selleck on "Blue Bloods" showed him "there's always something more to learn."
To "Blue Bloods" star Donnie Wahlberg, he and Tom Selleck have a father-son kind of relationship.
The longtime crime drama is set to air the first 10 episodes of the 14th – and final season – on Feb 16. The last eight episodes are expected in the fall.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Wahlberg admitted that over the past 14 years working with Selleck, their relationship has grown deeper than just co-stars.
Donnie Wahlberg views Tom Selleck as a father figure. (Getty Images)
"Tom Selleck, I call him Dad," he said. "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."
Wahlberg explained that Selleck has joined in on the father-son dynamic and calls him "son."
WATCH: Donnie Wahlberg says Tom Selleck has been a 'great mentor'
"He's literally like, ‘Oh, hey, son, how are you doing today?’" Wahlberg said. "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."
Donnie didn't just form a close relationship with Tom. He told Fox News Digital that over the last 14 years, the cast has become "a real family."
Donnie Wahlberg plays Danny Reagan on the "Blue Bloods" series. (CBS)
"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."
Wahlberg referenced the dinner scenes that are shown in "Blue Bloods" and how much the viewers enjoyed them.
WATCH: 'Blue Bloods' star Donnie Wahlberg is going to miss the 'cast and the crew' the most after the upcoming final season
"Those dinner scenes that mean so much to the viewers actually mean a lot to the cast as well," he said. "Sitting down with the cast every week, it's like the family gets together once a week to catch up, to talk about things, to talk about what's going on in their lives, what's going on in the world, and the cast of the show gets to do the same thing."
It's hard for Wahlberg to wrap his mind around not filming with the cast and crew of "Blue Bloods" anymore.
"Blue Bloods" is set to air the first 10 episodes of the 14th and final season on Feb. 16. The last eight episodes are expected in the fall. (David Giesbrecht/CBS)
"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," Donnie said.
He continued, "I'm really enjoying the ride right now and trying not to go there emotionally."
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Wahlberg told Fox News Digital what it's like to work closely with an "icon" like Selleck.
Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Selleck have worked together on "Blue Bloods" for the past 14 years. (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
"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 said. "You can count them probably on one hand, and Tom Selleck is one of them."
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Selleck first starred in "Magnum, P.I." and won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his role as Thomas Magnum for eight seasons. The drama series aired from 1980 to 1988. Tom has appeared as Frank Reagan, the New York police commissioner, in all 14 seasons of "Blue Bloods."
Tom Selleck is shown as private investigator Thomas Magnum in "Magnum, P.I." (CBS Photo Archive)
Tom Selleck starred in the crime drama "Magnum, P.I." from 1980 to 1988. (CBS Photo Archive)
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"Blue Bloods" first aired in September 2010. Aside from Wahlberg and Selleck, the cast consists of Will Estes, Bridget Moynahan, Andrew Terraciano and Abigail Hawk.
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