JAKARTA - It's hard to imagine Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford's face. However, according to Steven Spielberg, the iconic role was originally almost given to another actor, Tom Selleck.
HuffPost quoted Saturday, June 13, reporting that s revealed the story when appearing on the podcast IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. He said that he and George Lucas originally chose Selleck to be the main character in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
"He came in and read the part. He was good. The test was good. I liked it," Spielberg said.
However, it was not Selleck's acting ability that made him lose the role. At that time, he was still under contract with the CBS television network for the Magnum P.I. series.
"We wanted Tom. We gave that role to Tom, but we didn't realize that he still had a contract in force with CBS for Magnum P.I.," Spielberg said.
Selleck then starred in Magnum P.I. for eight seasons, from 1980 to 1988.
In his memoir, which was published in 2024, You Never Know, as quoted by People, Selleck told the story of his experience auditioning for Indiana Jones in front of Spielberg and Lucas. He admitted that he didn't feel too nervous because he was a huge fan of Star Wars and was happy to meet the two filmmakers he admired so much.
Although interested in the first Indiana Jones script, Selleck eventually had to let go of the opportunity because CBS decided to continue production of Magnum P.I.
According to Spielberg, when CBS learned they wanted Selleck for Indiana Jones, the television network immediately went into production on Magnum P.I., which prevented Selleck from taking the role.
Finally, the role of Indiana Jones was given to Harrison Ford after Spielberg saw his performance as Han Solo in the film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980.
"I pulled George aside and said, 'What if the guy who plays Han Solo becomes Indiana Jones?'" Spielberg recalled.
George Lucas was hesitant because Ford was already very synonymous with Han Solo. However, Spielberg believes that an actor is capable of playing more than one big character.
Ford then became a figure attached to Indiana Jones for decades. Meanwhile, Selleck continued his career as a star of Magnum P.I.
Spielberg also joked that if Selleck really became Indiana Jones, the actor's signature mustache would most likely not be featured.
"Maybe if the films are successful, he can demand that his mustache remain," Spielberg said jokingly.
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