Tom Selleck gives special thanks to Sam Elliott and thinks choosing the “cowboy hat” is the right choice

Nowadays, Tom Selleck is best known for his work on TV's "Blue Bloods" and other shows. But Selleck's real roots lie in Westerns. He even admitted to wearing a cowboy hat in an interview with Cowboys and Indian in 2016. “I grew up watching Westerns on TV,” Selleck said. “It was one of my favorite genres to act in because it was such a close-knit group of people.”

When Selleck began his acting career, he was offered to star in "The Sackettts" alongside Sam Elliott. The movie was based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. "I grew up in tract housing, but I watched a lot of westerns, which had a big impact on me. I was really fortunate to be cast in The Sackettts," told the outlet. "My buddy Sam Elliott, who I started out with, was already cast as my brother, which was great because I was really nervous.

Like a gateway drug, “The Sacketts” ended up opening the genre to Selleck. He ended up greatly enjoying his time on the set.“I got hooked on the genre, and although I’d ridden before, I really learned how to ride during that project because the director was a stickler for his actors looking authentic on horseback. I didn’t want to look like a slacker,” Selleck said.A list of Tom Selleck’s Westerns | It’s A Stampede!Tom Selleck Befriends a Western Great .

While filming “The Sacketts,” Selleck befriended western author and literary great Louis L’Amour. In fact, the author ended up writing a book, just so Selleck and Elliott could star in the movie adaptation.“After ‘The Sacketts,’ the creative team made a pact to work together again. But another Louis L’Amour project almost didn’t happen,” Selleck said. “The rights to make a ‘Sacketts’ sequel got tied up in legalese. So Louis wrote a new book with a movie in mind.

I’m proud to say that Louis and I became friends on the set, which meant a lot to me. He knew that we were all going to do another project together one way or another, so he created ‘The Shadow Riders’ for us.”These days, Selleck’s western era seems behind him. But the actor hopes it won’t be for good. Selleck confessed that he missed the genre and wanted to star in another western.

“I hope I’m not done doing westerns, though, as they are now very hard to get off the ground,” Selleck said. “I so miss it, and more than any other experience I’ve had in film, these movies create a sense of place. Everything in a western can work for you if you allow it — not spending time in your trailer. Perhaps if you’re just sitting on your horse between takes and staying on the set, you can still kind of experience that lifestyle. There was a real sense of unity between cowboys.”