Tom Selleck Almost Played Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark

Perri Ormont Blumberg
·2 min read
Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
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Can you imagine anyone other than Harrison Ford playing Dr. Henry Jones Jr. in the Indiana Jones franchise? And can you imagine anyone other than Tom Selleck staring as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.?

Well, little did we know, but Selleck nearly was cast in the lead role for 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark and may have very well taken on the part of Indiana Jones, were it not for a contract he had signed for Magnum, P.I., the hit detective series that wound up becoming a career-defining gig.

"After I did the pilot for Magnum, I tested for Indiana Jones and got the job. Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] 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.' 'Turns out CBS wouldn't let me do it. They held the offer out for about a month. Harrison Ford hates to hear this and Harrison this is your role and your indelible in it, so it's just an interesting story," he explained in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment's "BUILD Series." "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 gotta get in the car and drive into a brick wall and get injured and get out of Magnum and do this.' And I said 'I gotta look my mom and dad in the eye, and we don't do that.' So, I did Magnum, it's not so bad, is it?"

Watch the interview below.

And here's some more fun movie trivia for you: Audrey Hepburn almost didn't star in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Matthew McConaughey auditioned for the role of Jack in Titanic.

All this talk of beloved films have you ready to take a walk down movie memory lane? Check out these classic movies you can stream on Amazon and Hulu.

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Monday movie night, anyone? We're plopping on the nearest couch and grabbing the popcorn for an Indiana Jones marathon.