Tom Selleck Took a 3-Year Break from Acting After Daughter Was Hospitalized

Tom Selleck Reflects on His ‘Lucky Life,’ ‘Accidental’ Career and 4 Decades of Loving Wife Jillie (Exclusive) At the time, the actor was slated to begin shooting the 1992 film Christopher Columbus: The Discovery in Spain. “I had agreed to do the picture because Marlon Brando was in it,” Selleck recalls. “I missed all the rehearsal and everything. We got Hannah home, and then I went, but I didn’t like that.” For more of Selleck’s exclusive interview, pick up this week’s issue on PEOPLE on newsstands Friday. While the movie wasn’t a hit, Selleck did get to know Brando and even still has a few letters the veteran star sent him. “But it wasn’t worth it. It was never going to be worth it,” Selleck insists. “And I said, this is crazy. I quit Magnum really, to have a family, and now I’m jumping at every movie that comes along.” One year turned to three before his work picked up again in the late ’90s with memorable roles in films like In & Out and the TV series The Closer and as Monica’s older love interest on the megahit Friends. Looking back on fatherhood, Selleck admits it was a balancing act. “I think I’ve been a good dad. But you always think you missed opportunities,” he says. “I mean, when it comes right down to it, in our business the work comes first. You find a way to make that compatible, but…”