Abigail Hawk has crafted an impressive list of credits in her filmography, including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Reality Check.” However, her most significant role is as one of the trinity of council serving Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) on “Blue Bloods.” While spending nearly 250 episodes as Detective Abigail Baker, the actress has become one of the bright points of the series. And according to her, she learned all she knows about acting from her time on set.
In an interview with Hamptons, Hawk addressed what it means to be a part of “Blue Bloods.” “It’s very special,” she said. “I feel as if I’ve almost grown into myself as a woman in this decade that I’ve been working. Really, everything that I’ve learned as a professional actor has happened on my time on the show. It’s a personal triumph for me, but it’s also a professional and creative triumph. It’s incredibly rare for a network show to make it to 100 episodes, let alone 200.”
With her signature stare into the closing door of Reagan’s office, Detective Baker has become a mainstay in one of the most successful police procedural shows on TV. Hawk has expertly delivered the capable detective’s stare and stoic but strong demeanor for a decade and a half. And it seems she learned how to accomplish this from working alongside some of the best in the business.
She benefits from working with Tom Selleck
There are a lot of big names that have come through the revolving door of recurring and guest actors on “Blue Bloods.” Everyone from Whoopi Goldberg and Ed Asner to Lou Diamond Phillips and Treat Williams have lent their presence, but for Abigail Hawk, there is one person that she works with who casts a more immense shadow than all of them. And you likely know who that is because he is the biggest name in the cast. She told Pop Culture what it is like to work alongside Tom Selleck.
“I absolutely adore Tom, and I’m exceedingly grateful for him,” she revealed. “He has really been a huge champion of mine.” She continued, “I appreciate the fact that he recognized that I had a lot I want to say in the industry, and he’s a huge advocate for women. I have a seat at the table with him if that makes sense. Even though I’m much younger than him, much greener in every sense of the word, he never makes me feel less than … We talk on the same level. We have wonderful discussions.”
With someone as prolific as Selleck on your side, you can feel as though you can do almost anything. After starring in series such as “Magnum P.I.” and “Friends” and films such as “Three Men and a Baby,” the “Jesse Stone” franchise, and numerous westerns, there is no one better to have in your corner and help you grow into yourself as a professional.
Her favorite episode is all the way back in Season 4
Every actor on a successful TV series has their favorite episode and storyline. After 247 episodes under Hawk’s belt, she definitely has her fair share. In her interview with Hamptons, she answered the question posed to get her to reveal her favorite episode with a gem from all the way back in Season 4.
“Oh, my goodness, there’s so many. I’d say probably my favorite episode was season 4, which was the episode that Donnie Wahlberg directed called Manhattan Queens,” Hawk said. “I took down the Suffolk Chief of Police, who was heckling me in a room full of men. I just completely cut him down to size with one singular phrase, and it was beautiful. I loved that entire scene because Baker’s just so deadpan, and her delivery of lines is… I mean, I aspire to be as cool and effortless as she is.”
Hawk has spent several years portraying the character that serves as the one woman in the inner circle of the upper levels of the New York City Police Department. While she was already a talented and capable actor, her time working alongside Tom Selleck and others on the long-running series has made her a force of nature. There are a dozen great actors on “Blue Bloods,” but none have risen so far so fast as Abigail Hawk.