Tom Selleck isn’t often impressed by stars, but he has revealed which famous person in his nearly 60-year career has had a slight fascination with him.
Selleck, 79, opened up about his time in Hollywood in his handwritten memoir, “You Never Know.”
“I was probably a little bit starstruck by Mae West,” he told Town & Country. “I’m not star-struck.” [James] Garner loved his work, even though I deeply admired his work.
“Not that often,” Selleck added. “Really good people – good actors – have a way of getting through those situations quickly. I get to meet a lot of people and I’m always a little bit starstruck, but I get through it. I mean, I can do it.”Dancing with Princess Di was a few notches above that, and yeah, I was impressed. ”
Tom Selleck dances with Princess Diana to avoid ‘rumors’ about John Travolta
Tom Selleck revealed in a new interview which celebrity gave him star impact. (Getty Images)
The “Magnum PI” star met Princess Diana in 1985 when she was on the guest list for a state dinner at the White House. The only other actors in attendance were Clint Eastwood and John Travolta.
“After dinner, everyone moved to the East Room for music and dancing,” Selleck wrote. “President Reagan and Princess Diana danced, Prince Charles danced with Nancy, and John Travolta and Princess Diana started dancing.”
Soon, Selleck approaches a woman who “talks very fast” and says, “Mr. Travolta and the princess are about to dance together for the second time. We can’t do that. We don’t want to start rumors. Are we like that too?” After both Wood and Selleck met with her in silence, the woman added, “Mr. Selleck, you have to step in and take his place.”
“I’m not interfering.” john travolta! My response, perhaps too loudly, was,” Selleck wrote. “She wasn’t happy. ‘Very well. Please come with me to the next dance.’
Selleck was asked to dance with Princess Diana to prevent rumors about her and John Travolta from spreading. (Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)
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Selleck told Town & Country that he “apologized” to Princess Diana for his lack of dancing skills.
“Look, I skipped the cotillion,” he said. “When I was a kid, we had a cotillion, and we were taught everything from dancing to etiquette.”
He said his brother went to Cotillion but managed to skip it. But that left him with a bit of a problem, “Then all I could dance was box steps, box steps and dips like I did at high school dances. And I was with Princess Di. I didn’t mean to dip in! We just talked, but she was very nice and was clearly learning skills to deal with people and relax.”
In his memoir You Never Know, Tom Selleck recalls meeting Princess Diana at a state dinner at the White House. (Getty Images)
Prior to the publication of his memoir, Selleck admitted that he had never wanted to be an actor.
“This is really the story of a serendipitous career,” he told People magazine. “I had never taken any acting classes, I had no training, I had no desire.
“People will say, ‘Oh, he was bitten by the acting bug,’ or, ‘He wanted to be a star,'” he added. “I’ve never talked to him like that in his life. He just wanted to get a job and work.”
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Tom Selleck never intended to be an actor. (Getty Images)
At the start of his career, Selleck landed a job as a basketball player in a Pepsi commercial. He went on to appear on “The Young and the Restless.” He then landed the role of Magnum P.I. in 1980 at the age of 35. This casting would change his life.
The actor met his wife, Jilly Mack, in 1983 while starring in “Cats.” They married in 1987 and had a daughter, Hannah. Selleck has a son, Kevin, with his ex-wife Jacqueline Rae.
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Fox News Digital’s Lori A. Bashian contributed to this report.
