“Why Tom Selleck Almost Shaved His Iconic Mustache for Blue Bloods — And What Stopped Him”

Tom Selleck’s iconic mustache almost didn’t make it onto his CBS show Blue Bloods.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE for this week’s cover story, the actor, 79, reveals that he considered shaving off his facial hair for the role of police commissioner Frank Reagan on the show, which is currently in its final season.

“At the time, they had him as the New York City police chief,” Selleck explains. “That’s not the boss in New York, the way it’s structured.”

Selleck thought he would need to remove his mustache for authenticity. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t think they can have mustaches, so I’ll shave off my mustache,’” he continues. “And [executive producer] Leonard [Goldberg] said, ‘Let me check with CBS.’ And CBS said no.”

Throughout his early career, Selleck often faced requests to remove his mustache, which had become a signature part of his look. “I just got used to it and had to shave it off for those early jobs,” he recalls. “And then it was kind of okay.”

Despite his mustache being a staple in many of his roles, including his acclaimed part in Magnum, P.I., Selleck did shave it off for the 1997 film In & Out, where he played reporter Peter Malloy opposite Kevin Kline.

The film’s director, Frank Oz, had his own vision for the character. “[Oz] said, with the barber there, ‘Would you trim your mustache a little?’” Selleck remembers. “I said, ‘Sure.’ Then he said, ‘A little more than that.’ And then he said, ‘Well, would you shave it all off?’ I said, ‘Sure.’”

In his conversation with PEOPLE, Selleck also reflects on his extensive career and upcoming memoir, You Never Know, set to be published this spring by Dey Street Books. “It is really the story of an accidental career,” he notes, recalling his early work in commercials and on The Dating Show. The memoir, which took four years to write, delves into his experiences with failure and the rewards of perseverance.