Tom Selleck’s Memoir Details Ultimate ‘Magnum P.I.’ Stunt — Get a Sneak Peek

You Never Know: A Memoir

Tom Selleck

$20.98

Buy Now

His nearly 60-year acting career started inauspiciously — with an Air Force training film — but Tom Selleck has soared since then. In a new memoir, You Never Know, the beloved Blue Bloods star looks back at his onscreen legacy.

Below, we selected a few excerpts from this entertaining read.

He was floored by meeting Farrah Fawcett

As a young actor, Selleck booked a Western-themed 1972 commercial for Dubonnet, a wine product. His costar: Farrah Fawcett.

I was introduced to my “leading lady.”It was her! I’d seen the Noxzema commercial, and it was her! Let me explain. Joe Namath did a shave-cream commercial where he gets his face caressed and is sung to by a beautiful young woman. How do I say this? I found her performance very impactful. I tried to have my grown-up-adult-been-there-before face on as she smiled, shook my hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Farrah.” Farrah couldn’t have been nicer and more fun. Yes, she was beautiful. But there was also the force of that persona. Over the years, we would bump into each other many times. And I am flattered to say she always remembered that job we had together a long, long time ago.

He had to wing it when it came to horseback riding for a star-making role

Despite admitting he couldn’t ride horseback, Selleck got a callback for the 1979 miniseries The Sacketts. (Already cast: Sam Elliott, his buddy from 20th Century-Fox’s New Talent program.) He was told to “wear work clothes” to California’s Randall Ranch.

“There’s a bunch of horses over there,” [director Robert Totten] said, motioning vaguely to the far side of the riding arena, where a couple of wranglers were waiting with a dozen horses. “Go pick one out, put a saddle on it and ride over here.” Oh-kay! I took a deep breath or two, holding back the small wave of panic. By the time we got to the horses, one actor just kept walking. “This is insulting,” he said. That actor (no names, please) was way more established than I was. Look, being offended is a choice. I chose not to be offended.

I turned my back to the grandstand and whispered to one of the wranglers, “I have no idea how to do this.” He looked up at me and paused. “This one’ll do,” he said. He handed me the reins of a horse he was holding and started talking me through it: Lift that, pull this, buckle that. I climbed on the best I could and joined the other four as we walked our horses across the arena.

He pulled the ultimate media stunt to end Magnum on a high note

Gene Trindl / TV Guide / ©CBS / courtesy Everett Collection

After eight successful—and, for Selleck, life-changing—seasons, Magnum, P.I. signed off on May 1, 1988. But how to ensure a huge audience for the finale?

We got an unexpected lift from one of the tabloids (no names). There was a rumor that someone had sent them a copy of our last scene in “Resolutions.” Attached was a note: “Tom Selleck is an asshole! Here’s the last scene in their season finale. And Magnum dies. Selleck can kiss my ass!!!” I guess someone must have written a counterfeit scene because Magnum doesn’t die at the end. True to their nature, the tabloid knew it was too good a story to pass up. They accidentally forgot to do any checking to verify it. You know what? It created an enormous appetite and curiosity to see our show. So I owe them my qualified thanks. I think I know what you’re thinking: How could I possibly know about the note? Well…I just do. So don’t ask. Let’s leave it at that. Oh…all right. Can’t tell a lie. I not only knew about the note, I wrote it.