‘Shield’ star tackles do-over in true-life football tale ‘The Senior’

“You get older and you hear a broken record of: ‘Be careful. That might not be the thing for you to do now’ or ‘You really can’t do that at your age.’ ”

His response: Suit up and get back in the game in a new football movie.

“Age doesn’t matter,” he says. “Every minute is a new minute. A chance to try something, be something, do something.”

In the true-life tale “The Senior,” now in theaters, Chiklis plays a 59-year-old former college linebacker named Mike Flynt who got expelled from school. Some 37 years later, he’s a construction site foreman, married with grown kids and attending his college reunion, when a crazy idea is born: He could actually rejoin the team because he never finished his senior year. So, Flynt takes the field again as a way to challenge this game called life.

“The message is, life is all about second chances. They’re all around us,” he says. “Why not stage your own do-over?”

Chiklis, a Massachusetts native, has made a career out of playing tough guys with heart, including his iconic role as Detective Vic Mackey on “The Shield,” which won him an Emmy, as well as turns in “The Commish,” “Fantastic Four” and “Winning Time.”

At home in L.A., he’s a father to grown daughters Autumn and Odessa with his wife, Michelle, and preparing for his next role of a lifetime: Grandpa.

Chiklis’ good life tips:

‘Everything hurt’

Chiklis had only six weeks to train for one of the most physical roles of his life in “The Senior.” “I hit the gym like a maniac, and food is 85 percent of it,” he says. “I was captain of the football team in high school, so it wasn’t foreign to me. But I was also 59 when we shot this and I have peanut brittle for bones.”

Yet the actor did 95 percent of the football scenes in the film. He offers one disclaimer: “Being in shape is different than being in football shape. I slammed into this kid on the field who is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds. Believe me, I had visions! By the end of the day, my eyebrows hurt. Everything hurt. Just sitting up in bed hurt. But you push past it.”

That’s a wrap

“I’m older, so the recovery is harder,” Chiklis acknowledges. “The thing I didn’t want was anything to break or pop during filming. Happily, it didn’t until the second-to-last shot of the movie, where my right calf blew up. We did the close-up and then I wrapped my leg in ice and went home on the plane. Even though it really hurt, I still felt like, ‘I did it. It’s done.’ ”

Second chances

The chance to look back and try to fix past mistakes is a blessing, Chiklis says. “We all have that face-palm moment where you look back and think, ‘Why did I say that? Why did I do that?’ That’s really what this movie is about,” he says. “You can go back in many cases and try again or say that thing or call that one person.’”

No attitude

“I’ve never understood people who buy into their own hype. We’re just people. I go home to Boston and my guys are like, ‘Shut up.’ ”

Fun and fit

Chiklis and his wife, Michelle, team up to stay active. “My wife and I work out an hour a day together. It keeps you accountable,” he says. “Most of the time, we’re on our bikes or doing a cardio routine with trainers online who take you through a 45-minute workout. You can switch it up and try dozens of trainers. We make it fun. We turn up the music.”

The right partner

Chiklis and his wife have been married since 1992. What’s the secret? “Honestly, part of it is dumb luck,” he says. “You meet someone, there is attraction, you get to know them and fall for them,” he says. “With my wife, the more I got to know her, the more I fell in love with her. … They say opposites attract, but like spirits stay together. We’re very aligned on the big philosophical things such as how to raise kids, belief systems and the way we perceive the world. When you’re like-minded about the big things, then the little things don’t matter. We face the world shoulder-to-shoulder.”

Love and adoration

“I let my wife and kids know I adore them all of the time,” he says. “I’ll say, ‘I see what you do and it’s wonderful.’ … I also adore my wife because she’s super hilarious, and I tell her that all the time. When I’m in despair about this crazy business, she always has a quip and then I’m dying laughing. It’s great to have someone who makes you zoom out when you can’t see the forest from the trees.”

Never say never

Will there ever be another outing for “The Shield?” “It’s the single most common question I’m asked,” Chiklis says. “But then again, my wife says, ‘Cry when they stop asking.’ ” The truth is, I never say never, but I don’t want you to hold out any hope. It would have to be really extraordinary.”

Proud grandpa

Chiklis is about to become a grandfather, or Papouli (in Greek, as he will be called); the baby is due in January. “Just this morning, my wife said, ‘Your grandchild will be able to watch “The Senior,” ’ and it made me cry,” he says. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just super emotional. My first thought in the morning and the last before I go to sleep is, I will be Papouli soon. I walk up to strangers in the street and go, ‘Hey, I’m going to be a grandfather.’ ”