Tom Selleck was scared to play Dr. Richard Burke in "Friends"!! Image Source: Do You Remember? 

Tom Selleck was scared to play Dr. Richard Burke on "Friends"!!

Actor Tom Selleck recently appeared and shared on The Kelly Clarkson Show that he was very scared to play the guest star, Dr. Richard Burke, on Friends, who was supposed to be the short-term boyfriend of Monica Geller, played by an actress Courteney Cox.

Tom shared that he was scared because he had never done a comedy sitcom before, and that made him very nervous. The actor also added that it’s the hardest thing to star as a guest on the show, but he added that Courteney Cox helped him feel welcome on the set and in a new atmosphere. Tom Selleck went ahead to praise Courteney Cox for all the help that she had given to make him feel comfortable in a group of six friends.

The actor added that the group, which includes Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, were a great group of friends who eventually became close in real life too. He shared that it was a wonderful place to work for him and he is grateful for playing Richard on the show. 

Tom Select as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends. Image Source: Horizon Time 

Tom Selleck, who was supposed to appear for three episodes, went ahead to appear a total of nine times on the show. The actor who was once nervous about being in between a group of people who had already developed a great friendship and on a total new filming experience uses the same experience and learning to try to make his co-actors on other projects ease up because he understands that it’s hard for an actor to come on a show where everybody is up to speed.

Dr. Richard Burke was introduced to the audience in season two and Richard and Monica instantly hit it off until they broke up by the end of the season, only to rekindle their romance for a brief period in season three before ending their relationship for good. Dr. Richard Burke made his final appearance in the season six finale in 2000 just before Chandler proposes to Monica. 

Tom Selleck shared with Kelly Clarkson that when the makers asked him to continue his guest arc, he was surprised with the amount of love and support he got from the audience. The actor joined the rest of the cast during HBO Max’s "Friends: The Reunion," which premiered in 2021 via voicemail.

Courteney Cox was once asked on the YouTube talk show "Hot Ones" about Monica Geller’s favorite love interest among the guest stars, to which she replied that Tom Selleck was her favorite and described him as the nicest and tallest.

Tom Selleck, who currently stars in CBS’ police drama Blue Bloods as NYC Police Commissioner Frank Reagan and is expected to return for season 13, shared that he has no plans to leave the show and added that he had no idea how the time had passed away. The series just celebrated its 250th episode and added that he was stunned by the support and love from the audience for the show.