Can you imagine Frank Reagan fighting his way to another legendary artifact in a set of ancient ruins? We can’t either — but the Indiana Jones director certainly could!
Tom Selleck is largely known for his great performance in TV series throughout his career: the actor rose to fame thanks to Magnum P.I. years ago, now he’s the one and only Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods, and he even played the part of Monica’s elder boyfriend Richard in Friends — but you don’t really recall his movies.
Apparently, Selleck had an amazing opportunity to become a top-tier movie actor, too: he was the top choice for the very first Indiana Jones film, and while it’s really hard to imagine the Commish wielding the iconic whip and hunting down treasures now, Selleck’s inability to join the cast really upset Steven Spielberg back in the day.
When the creators were casting for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spielberg suggested Tom Selleck as his number-one pick for Indiana Jones. George Lucas was not the biggest fan of the idea at first, but in the end, he agreed to cast Selleck… So, what could’ve gone wrong at that point?
The thing is, Tom Selleck was contractually obliged to continue starring in CBS’s Magnum P.I., and the channel refused to release him from the contract. The actor was pretty much forced to drop the role of Indiana Jones as he had no chance of starring in both the series and the movie at the same time.
Hence, Harrison Ford “inherited” the role, and now, decades later, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing the iconic adventurer: the wit and charisma he brought to the character cemented his — and the movie’s — worldwide success instantaneously, essentially turning Indiana Jones into the new big thing.
Despite the overwhelming success, Ford himself never forgot his origins, so to speak, and during the recent Italian premiere of the last Indiana Jones installment, the actor took the time to thank Tom Selleck for giving him this opportunity.
“How I got the job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also incurred an obligation to do a television series and he was unable to get out of that contract. I became the second choice, and I’m very grateful for Tom. Thank you, Tom, man. If you’re listening, thank you again,” said Harrison Ford.