Shemar Moore Says 'S.W.A.T.' Is His 'Dream Job'

'@YandR_CBS was high school... @CrimMinds_CBS was college... I didn't see @SWATcbs coming... call [...]

By Allison Schonter

Actor Shemar Moore got his start on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless in 1994 before going on to star as Derek Morning for 11 seasons in the hit series Criminal Minds. Now, Moore has returned to CBS as Sgt. Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson in S.W.A.T., a role that he says is his "dream job."

"This is my dream job because I've always believed what I'm capable of," Moore, 47, said on CBS This Morning. "I get to be a lead, which I'm proud of, but I'm also smart enough and humble enough to know that I can't do it by myself and that it's not all about me. So what I'm really proud of with S.W.A.T. is that I get to be a leader."

Up Next: Here's How Shemar Moore Finally Returns to 'Criminal Minds'

After making his exit from Criminal Minds, Moore said that he was lost and didn't know what was next for him. "I call it my dream job, but when I left Criminal Minds I did not know S.W.A.T. was on the horizon. I was seeking balance. I love what I do for a living – entertaining people, making people feel, inspiring people. But I had been so focused on work that there was this void in my personal life." He traveled to Australia where he distanced himself from technology and focused on himself and nature, allowing the negative entities in his life to leave and the good ones to come back. "Aall the right people and the right opportunities came back, one of them being S.W.A.T."

More: Fans Are Losing Their 'Criminal Minds' Over Shemar Moore's Return

In the CBS crime drama, which is based on the '70s TV series and 2003 film of the same name, Moore plays a sergeant assigned to run a specialized tactical police unit in Los Angeles. While it may be his dream job, Moore still has a lot of credit to give to his previous roles.

"My career is school. Young and the Restless was high school, and then I graduated. Criminal Minds was college, and now I felt like it was time to graduate. And I didn't see S.W.A.T. coming, but here it is, and we'll call it grad school."

S.W.A.T. airs Thursdays at 10 pm EST on CBS.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of