Larry Manetti Interview

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I agree with you guys...kind of weird. Donnie Walberg did post a picture of them together with others in the cast in an Instagram post or was it a tweet...either way I was so confused.

Wait, how can Rick be in the same picture with Donnie Walberg??? Rick is in his 30s or 40s and that would mean Donnie would be like 11 or 12. Soooooo confused by all this.....

[Styles Bitchley]

I read somewhere, it was Tom Selleck's decision that he and Larry would not appear on screen together in Blue Bloods. He was concerned a scene together might effect the credability of his Frank Reagan character. If I can find the article again I'll post it.

https://www.looper.com/1273628/blue-blo ... tar-first/

I'm really bugged by Selleck's comment that having Manetti on the show and especially the two of them sharing a scene together would "confuse the audience". Really, Tom? What are we? 5 years old??? It's called acting, Tom. Get over it. You play one character and Larry plays another character (not Rick). What's confusing about that? If anything we'll get a smile seeing the 2 of you together but there's nothing to be confused by. If I was Larry I might be offended, thinking there's another reason Tom didn't want me on the show. At first he didn't want Larry on the show at all. Then when he finally caved in he stipulated that they can't share a scene together. Weird.

I think it's the right call. The new character is stoic and authoritative and bringing Larry in makes the audience focus more on that past relationship than what's going on in the scene. Plus, it's a bit like pulling strings to get someone you know a job where you work. It can be okay, but if you're doing something high profile and working together, it's in bad taste.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I read somewhere, it was Tom Selleck's decision that he and Larry would not appear on screen together in Blue Bloods. He was concerned a scene together might effect the credability of his Frank Reagan character. If I can find the article again I'll post it.

https://www.looper.com/1273628/blue-blo ... tar-first/

I'm really bugged by Selleck's comment that having Manetti on the show and especially the two of them sharing a scene together would "confuse the audience". Really, Tom? What are we? 5 years old??? It's called acting, Tom. Get over it. You play one character and Larry plays another character (not Rick). What's confusing about that? If anything we'll get a smile seeing the 2 of you together but there's nothing to be confused by. If I was Larry I might be offended, thinking there's another reason Tom didn't want me on the show. At first he didn't want Larry on the show at all. Then when he finally caved in he stipulated that they can't share a scene together. Weird.

I think it's the right call. The new character is stoic and authoritative and bringing Larry in makes the audience focus more on that past relationship than what's going on in the scene. Plus, it's a bit like pulling strings to get someone you know a job where you work. It can be okay, but if you're doing something high profile and working together, it's in bad taste.

In that case it seems very arrogant on Tom's part. Basically, our show is too important and not like that silly thing we did back in the 80s. Can't make room for a buddy of mine on this show. Only REAL professionals need apply. Gimme a break! It's just a TV show, just make-believe. It always bugs me when people treat entertainment like they're trying to discover a cure for cancer. Besides, last I checked Larry is an actor so Tom isn't exactly giving some old buddy of his with no acting creds a spot on his show. Still makes no sense to me.

[Styles Bitchley]

Larry is an actor, but he just isn’t the same calibre of actor as what they have in the core cast of Blue Bloods. There. I said it.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Larry is an actor, but he just isn’t the same calibre of actor as what they have in the core cast of Blue Bloods. There. I said it.

I'm not talking about the core cast though. I'm talking about a one-time guest spot. Are you really saying that every guest star on the show is a higher caliber actor than Larry? Boy, that sounds harsh.

[Styles Bitchley]

I know. I love Larry and the Rick character, so it feels like critiquing one of my kids.

I don’t know BB well enough to know, but I’m assuming there was a deliberate rationale for doing it the way they did. I’m sure there was a reason. Knowing that Tom Selleck has had decades in the industry and it seems everyone he works with has nothing but great things to say about him, I’d err on giving him the benefit of the doubt. He did an entire extra season of Magnum to give the cast and crew another year of income. He’s earned enough for me to assume he had good reasons.