Tom Selleck has a lot on his mind ahead of the publication of his book, You Never Know: A Memoir.
Before entering the business, Selleck admits he struggled to find permanence in Hollywood, recording six pilots and developing the one that finally stuck, “Magnum PI.”
When Selleck’s luck struck, it seemed to be multiplied tenfold. After filming Magnum, Selleck was offered the lead role in the 1981 film Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark by its famed director, Steven Spielberg himself.
Harrison Ford scores ‘Indiana Jones’ after Tom Selleck turns down ‘Mangum Pi’: co-stars
Tom Selleck has revealed that Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark director Steven Spielberg originally offered him the titular role, which would be played by Harrison Ford. (Getty Images)
“Steven [Spielberg] I said, “Here’s the script.” Please have a look at this. Please let me know if you like it. ‘Cause I want you in ‘Indiana Jones,”’ he said. “CBS Sunday Morning. “So I read it in Stephen’s office until about page eight, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is really good.'”
In the end, Selleck was forced to turn down the role. He describes this period in his book as a “World Series of disappointments.” In retrospect, Selleck ended up being successful. “You can make yourself the victim, or you can just laugh and say, ‘That’s really ironic.'”
“A good job was coming up. ‘Raiders’ or not, it’s the job I dreamed of,” he added. Selleck played the role of private investigator Thomas Magnum on Magnum P.I. for eight seasons.
Tom Selleck was offered the role of “Indiana Jones” after already having a contract to star in “Magnum P.I.” (CBS via Getty Images)
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In April, Karen Allen, who played Ford’s love interest in Raiders of the Ark, told Fox News Digital that she knew Selleck was originally involved in the project. “Tom was in the pilot for ‘Magnum, P.I.’ before he was asked to play Indiana Jones,” she explained. “And when you do a pilot, you sign a contract that says if it gets accepted, you commit to it. So they hired the pilot. They picked up his option, and he’s no longer an Indy.・I can no longer play Jones.
Harrison Ford and Karen Allen starred in the first Indiana Jones movie, released in 1981. (Getty Images)
In the summer of 2023, while promoting the fifth film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Dial, Ford talked about how he landed the role.
“How did I get that job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also had an obligation to do a TV series and couldn’t get out of that contract,” he told Deadline. “I was the second choice, and I’m very grateful to Tom,” he said. “Thank you, Tom. Thanks again for listening.”
Harrison Ford is famous for playing the role of Indiana Jones in all six movies in the series. (CBS via Getty Images)
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Mr. Ford said this as a collaborator on “Star Wars.” george lucas, called him and claimed to have read the script that Ford had sent home. Lucas is responsible for creating both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series.
“‘I want you to read it right away,'” Ford remembers Lucas saying over the phone. “I want you to read it within an hour.”
Harrison Ford said it took him about an hour to read the first Indiana Jones script. (CBS via Getty Images)
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“I sat down and read the book in an hour, and he said, ‘I want you to go to Steven Spielberg’s house and talk to him,'” the actor detailed about Lucas’ request. “I went to Steven Spielberg’s house. I had never met Steven Spielberg before. I think after about an hour I got the job.”
Spielberg and Ford would collaborate on the first four films in the series.
