During a recent interview with Esquire, Selleck reflected on being offered the titular role in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ soon-to-be multi-billion dollar franchise. The actor revealed reading the script and being convinced it would be good.
I got to about page eight, where the boulder is rolling down the hill after Indiana Jones, and I just said, ‘Oh, shit. This is really good.’
Selleck made the above statement, revealing that he was blown away after reading the initial script for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
As a result, Selleck had a hard time letting go of the role as he had already shot the pilot for Magnum. Selleck admitted that he was disappointed by having to turn down the role of the now-famous archeologist/adventurer. However, the actor admitted that he could watch Harrison Ford in the role without any pangs whatsoever.
During the same interview, Selleck explained the difficult situation he found himself in after being offered the lead role in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Blue Bloods actor revealed that he shared his predicament with Lucas and Spielberg who held out the offer for six more weeks.
However, Selleck revealed that the duo’s interest in him only made CBS want Magnum, P.I. even more. As a result, he discussed the possibility of doing both roles but such a solution was unacceptable to the network who felt that he would end up quitting the series after becoming a movie star.
They didn’t want a movie star doing a series. ‘He’ll quit the series.’ I never would have done that, but I can’t really blame their thinking.
Selleck made the above statement, explaining why he couldn’t say yes to both roles despite being interested in pursuing the role of Indiana Jones.
Ultimately, Selleck had to turn the role but admitted that it proved to be less of a bummer as Magnum, P.I. was a huge hit on television. As a result, the actor viewed the hit series as a good consolation prize for losing out on the billion-dollar franchise.
The Indiana Jones movies are streaming on Disney+.
