Tom Selleck And His Unique Family Decision

Politically Charged

Tom has always voiced out his political opinions. The retired actor even described himself as “a registered independent with a lot of libertarian leanings.” Though, Tom hasn’t always been as open about being an active member of the National Rifle Association.

Rosie O’Donnell unhesitantly questioned him on his views on firearm ownership on her show, to which he replied, “It’s your show, and you can talk about it after I leave.”

Best Mustache?

As you might already know, Tom Selleck became an icon as one of the most renowned custodians of a mustache in film and television. Although, he wasn’t the only one who could effortlessly sport the look.

Amongst others, Nick Offerman of Parks and Recreations owned the mustache look, as well as Will Ferrell in the hilarious film, The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Life Imitating Art

Tom Selleck’s roles have always been fascinating as they’ve actually been extremely similar to certain aspects of his own personality or aspects he aspires to be like.

He recently played a role in Blue Bloods as a proud and practicing Catholic, something he idealizes himself to be.

Mannetti’s Workhorse

Larry Manetti, a talented actor and producer, became one of the actors who was there with Tom in every step of the way during his time on Magnum P.I.. Manetti, who played Orville Wilbur Richard “Rick” Wright, even wrote of his deep admiration for Selleck’s great work ethic in his 1996 memoir, Aloha, Magnum.

He also praised Selleck for all the effort he put into helping a number of charities in Hawaii. Tom Selleck was truly a man admired by many.

Loves The LA Kings

Outside of his love for acting, Tom Selleck was actually deeply passionate about hockey! He’s been seen several times watching his favorite team, the Los Angeles Kings, at the Staples Center.

He’s even shared in an interview that some of his favorite players were Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar.

Balancing Work & Play

Tom was based in Honolulu, Hawaii during Magnum P.I.’s filming and he decided to go ahead and take up several passions during his stay. One of these passions was surprisingly beach volleyball! The man truly had an incredible set of skills.

Dennis Berg, one of his teammates at Outrigger Canoe Club, also had several great things to say about the actor. He shared, “Tom was a great teammate, appreciative of being included with such a talented and experienced group, practicing and playing hard when his Magnum schedule permitted… He was very patient with all of us.”

Bumpy Ride

Tom Selleck had his fair share of ups and downs in the love department. In fact, after getting married to model Jacqueline Ray and adopting a son together back in the day, the spark just didn’t last.

They eventually filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage. Tom was able to pour out his heart into a role that resonated with his situation in a film called Divorce Wars: A Love Story.

Major Setbacks

A huge reason for his marital problems was definitely Tom’s steady rise to fame and fortune with Magnum P.I.. Jumping from set to his promotional tours, interviews, and parties surely set some limitations on his relationship with Ray.

The show producers even forced Tom to reject role offers such as Indiana Jones in Raiders of Lost Ark!

Magnum Rebooted?

Tom Selleck would probably be thrilled to find out that Magnum P.I. will be getting a reboot real soon.

Although, instead of him reprising the classic role of Thomas Magnum, it would be Jay Hernandez, a talented actor and fashion model known for his role as El Diablo / Chato Santana in the hit DC movie, Suicide Squad.

Still Going Strong

Fortunately, his marriage with Jillie Joan Mack has been going strong to this day! The couple has now been together for 30 successful years.

Tom even shared in an interview with NY Daily News, “Jillie and I have a pretty good partnership. We don’t do anything or make any decisions without consulting each other. And if one of us makes a decision involving Hannah, the other parent completely supports that position, even if you disagree.”

Humble Family

One distinct aspect that sets the Selleck family apart from many other Hollywood families is that they have never let their celebrity lifestyle overpower them. Instead of getting all flashy with a ton of houses and cars, the Sellecks just enjoy their life residing in their cozy California ranch.

Quality has truly been greater for them than quantity.

Taking A Step Back

Since Tom has been spending the majority of his time with his ranch-turned-avocado farm, he hasn’t been given leading roles since the 2015 television movie, Jessie Stone: Lost in Paradise.

Instead, Tom has been focusing on his new passion of farming his avocados for three decades now!

Bigger Picture

Tom Selleck always kept it a priority to continue growing with Jillie, the woman he considers as his one true love. He’s fully willing to sacrifice all the time, work, patience, and effort that a successful marriage requires of him. He knows that this won’t be a problem now that he’s retired from the busy Hollywood life.

“It’s important to nurture your marriage. I think wanting time away from work has been good for that”, he said.

Ultimate Sacrifice

We’re pretty sure Tom is fully aware that he could return to Hollywood anytime he wanted to. With such an established career, every huge studio wouldn’t flinch in contacting his agent.

However, Tom has his full focus on only two particular loves in his life: his wife and his daughter. He now knows that nothing is greater than his family, not even the fame and fortune.

Things You Never Knew About Magnum P.I.

It’s been a long while since the last episode of Magnum P.I. - 28 years to be exact! We’re all hoping for that huge announcement of the show’s return someday.

Until then, we’ve listed some things that you probably didn’t know about the show! Read on and enjoy a walk down memory lane.

Selleck, Sinatra, And The Buddy Comedy

Frank Sinatra, the truly iconic and legendary blue-eyed singer, loved being guesting on Magnum P.I., especially working alongside Tom Selleck.

Sinatra even mentioned his plans on co-starring with Selleck in a big screen comedy. It was probably too difficult to merge their busy schedules together as the movie never pushed through.

Could It Be Forbidden Love?

As mentioned earlier, Tom Selleck used to be neighbors with Italian film actress Sophia Loren. His wife allowed him to have a completely platonic friendship with her, but with some limitations.

We’re pretty sure his wife trusted him wholly, she’s just like any other woman who feels a little jealousy every once in a while! Fortunately, nothing went out of hand.

Fear Of Water

Apparently, Larry Manetti, playing Rick Wright in the show, hated anything that had to do with getting in the water. In fact, his main goal during his time on the show was to avoid the water and stay dry.

This probably wasn’t the greatest fear to have when you’re filming in a tropical island like Hawaii! Manetti even said in an interview with The Good Men Project, “I hate the water. I’m a big fan of land.”

No More James Bond

Initially, the character of Thomas Magnum was supposed to have a personality similar to that of James Bond. The show’s producers, however, respected Tom Selleck’s opinion that it would not be as interesting to play such a personality.

They instead allowed him to play the character of Thomas Magnum as more of a regular, laid-back character.

Hawaii

Can you believe that Magnum P.I. was originally set to be in Southern California? But as the planning of the show went on, the producers realized that the island of Oahu, Hawaii would be the best choice for a show with a focal point on the fictional beach of Robin’s Nest.

It was actually a practical decision for the network as well, as they tried to avoid closing the Hawaii Five-O production offices after the show’s cancellation.

Limbo

The season’s last episode was supposed to be its finale, ‘Limbo’, but Selleck surprisingly chose to stay for 13 more episodes. It was a fitting title for the situation that Thomas Magnum was in.

If you haven’t already seen it, Thomas Magnum was actually shot in the episode, so it wasn’t that clear yet if his character died off or not. Thus, the title ‘Limbo’.

NRA

Though Tom Selleck has continuously said that he does not consider himself to be a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, he still is an active board member and even appeared in several of their advertisements. Instead, he considers himself be a “registered Independent with a lot of Libertarian leanings.”

To him, gun violence is the consequence that America has to face for the freedom they’ve earned. Would you agree with him?

Jessica To The Rescue

When Magnum P.I.’s airing schedule got moved to Wednesday nights, the ratings actually started dropping. Apparently, the show was able to grab its mojo back when they aired their crossover episode with Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote.

The two iconic characters joined forces on Magnum P.I. before continuing the features on Murder, She Wrote. The special guest shows, fortunately, were wise decisions for the shows’ ratings.

Magnum VS The World

On the show, Magnum had a particularly complicated relationship with Higgins, T.C., and Rick. Their characters truly had contrasting personalities on the show, making it difficult to settle any issues.

Magnum probably had more support due to his carefree style that differed so much from the strict and intimidating characters some of them portrayed. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that Magnum’s contemporaries lashed out on the other men when they took punches at him.

A Touch Of Class From Orson Welles

Orson Welles, one of the greatest actors of all time, actually was the voice of Robin Masters, Magnum’s homeowner and infamous playboy! Though his character was sporadically featured, his presence always filled the episodes he appeared in nonetheless.

However, his voice had to be replaced by Reid Crandell after Welles’ unfortunate death.

Too Tall To Drive

Since Tom Selleck had an incredibly tall height of 6’4”, the Ferrari he drove on the show had to be permanently modified. Initially, the creators wanted Magnum to drive a Porsche, but the company refused to make any modifications.

They had to choose the Ferrari in the end. Apparently, the padding needed to be the removed and the seats had to be placed differently to give more space for the actor. What a boss!

Being A Veteran

Thomas Magnum’s character was a pretty revolutionary portrayal of veterans on television.

He portrayed his character in a more positive sense rather than focusing on the harshness that comes with being a veteran. Before him, veterans were mostly portrayed to be damaged and emotionally unstable.

Doggies

Zeus and Apollo were the two Doberman Pincher dogs in Robin’s Nest that were known as “the lads.” Though they looked pretty friendly on camera, it actually took a while for them to get used to Tom Selleck.

The dogs were Higgins’ loyal companions who had the responsibility of roaming the grounds, ensuring that no intruders were around to waste the time of Magnum and his men.