The Bosch actor Jerry O’Donnell is now actually joining the Police force, details revealed

Jerry O’Donnell, the actor who has portrayed hard-boiled and law-abiding agents of the law for nearly 4 decades on television, is now entering the scene. At the age of 65, he has enrolled in the police training of the Asheville Police Department in North Carolina, not to get publicity, but in a real sense to get a chance to finish the Basic Law Enforcement Training and become a sworn police officer.

Many fans accustomed to Bosch, Mad Men, NYPD Blue, and other daytime soaps were surprised by the news. In the case of O’Donnell, though, this is a logical follow-up: an opportunity to do good and challenge himself physically after decades of playing cops on TV.

Why Bosch star Jerry O’Donnell made the leap

Jerry O’Donnell has always appeared comfortable in a police uniform on screen, and that was more than merely acting. There must be more than just curiosity or nostalgia behind the step from being an officer in the game to being a trained officer in real life. Jerry O’Donnell has already indicated that he desires greater purpose in life and to be able to serve for a better cause, and he intends to find it in police work, which he finds meaningful and physically demanding in a manner that fits him.

In an interview with Asheville Watchdog, Jerry O’Donnell said:

“When we do PT, we go on these runs in the parking garage — you run up, run down, run the parking garage. And then you do exercises — 15 air squats, run up another level. Do 50 push ups, run up another level. Do 50 burpees.

“I always think when you slide into home at the end of your life, you want to be all used up. You know — dirty, scarred up, a little bloody, and spent. I feel blessed and grateful to still have some ability, so you know, that’s like a sense of purpose — to be of service.”

Jerry O’Donnell is not beginning afresh. He previously worked in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, a very hard-driving job that must have given him the self-confidence to now go into actual law enforcement training. This move is both a celebrity experiment and a career change at the same time, with that combination of military background, years of playing police characters, and a sincere wish to serve his people.

In Asheville, a small city that does not draw much Hollywood attention, a recruit who is pretty well-known builds a strange relationship between local civic culture and national entertainment culture. It is an unusual combination, but based on purpose and not publicity.

What this means for perceptions of age, service, and the actor’s legacy

The three concepts brought to light in the story of Jerry O’Donnell include the way that we perceive age and ability, the idea of serving later in life, and how the actual decisions of an actor may alter the manner in which we perceive his screen roles. Although most individuals tend to slow down in their retirement age, Jerry O’Donnell is commencing a challenging, high-profile job, something that defies the notion of being too old to perform certain tasks in the workplace.

Jerry O’Donnell’s decision to join the police force also indicates that older recruits can bring a wealth of life experience, patience, and perspective to the service of their country.

To fans and industry observers, this has given his career a new twist. He might not simply be remembered as the police officer on TV, but as a real one. That combination of celebrity and community service can be a slippery slope as well, because fame may either inspire people or distract them, but in case he means well, it can also present a more humane face of policing.

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