Tom Selleck on Indiana Jones and Magnum
It’s wild to think about the path Tom Selleck almost took with Indiana Jones, a role that Steven and George offered him directly after he’d already filmed the pilot for Magnum. He actually got selected for the part, but there was this massive hurdle involving CBS holding him to his existing commitment. Instead of trying to find some loophole or dramatic exit strategy, he just honored the deal he made. The studio kept the offer open for roughly a month while they figured out who else could play it before finally giving the keys to Harrison Ford. When people talk about how hard it is to get out of contracts, they sometimes suggest crazy things like driving your car into a brick wall to get injured so you can leave. Tom said he didn’t want to look his mom dead in the eye over something like that, so he stuck with Magnum. He calls signing that contract the best thing that ever happened to him career-wise, noting that most actors wouldn't even bother honoring a pilot commitment like he did. It’s a story about integrity where he told Steven and George thanks but no thanks because he had already done the work. #TomSelleck
Transcript (en)
I did not mean to imply that. After I did the pilot for Magnum, I tested for Indiana Jones and got the job. Steven and George, my newest pals at the time, offered me the job and I said, well, I've done this pilot, and they said, well, thanks for telling us. Most actors wouldn't do that, but we got cards to play with CBS. Turned out CBS wouldn't let me do it. They held the offer out for about a month. Harrison Ford hates to hear this. Harrison, this is your role and you're indelible in it. It's just an interesting story. But yeah, I mean, look, I signed a deal for Magnum. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm proud that I lived up to my contract. Some people said, you got to get in a car and drive into a brick wall and get injured and get out of Magnum and do this. I said, I got to look my mom and dad in the eye, and we don't do that. So I did Magnus.
