Tom Selleck has opened up about his time on Magnum PI, and why he has always refused to say the show’s full title. The 79-year-old shot to fame as the private investigator in the hit CBS drama, which ran for eight seasons between 1980 and 1988, and famously turned down Indiana Jones for the role . He went on to appear in Three Men and a Baby, Friends and Blue Bloods – which is coming to an end after more than a decade on the small screen.
During an appearance at 92NY to celebrate his new memoir, You Never Know, the Hollywood legend unpacked his incredible career , and his memorable first few years in the industry. Bridget Moynahan, who stars opposite Tom in Blue Bloods, moderated the conversation, and shared: ‘You said no to Magnum but they convinced you..
.’ ‘They kind of weaseled their way in,’ he laughed. ‘Don [Bellisario, co-creator, writer, director and producer] made it really easy and said, “What do you want to do?” ‘I said I want to do something like Rockford, not a perfect of James Bond like.
.. – which was a script I turned down – I want him to have flaws.
‘That’s the most interesting thing I find in any character. He said, “Say no more”. And about two weeks later, it’s really fast, I got to read the best two-hour movie script I’d ever had.
’ After a long wait, Magnum PI finally got the go-ahead, with Tom in the lead role while Don and co-creator Glen Larson worked on the script and production. However, just before the show premier.