It's been a memorable journey for Indiana Jones fans and the franchise's leading man, Harrison Ford, since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. Years later, while movie lovers everywhere continue to associate Ford with his Indiana Jones fame, director Steven Spielberg revealed that the role was initially meant for a different star.
In conversation with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Spielberg admitted that he originally wanted 1980s icon Tom Selleck to play Indiana Jones. He explained, "What happened was George [Lucas] and I had interviewed a lot of people to play Indiana Jones. And we tested them, and they came to George's. He had a small office in Los Angeles across from Universal. And we tested a lot of actresses from Marion Ravenwood, and a lot of actors, especially for Indiana Jones. That was going to be whether we made the movie or not."
"We both discovered and decided that Tom Selleck should play Indiana Jones. He came in and he read for the part.... he was good. His test was good. I loved it. But there's where the strings of destiny didn't cross with Tom. We wanted Tom. We gave Tom the part, and then he had, which we didn't realize, an outstanding contract with CBS Network to do Magnum P.I."
Spielberg went on to say that as soon as former CBS Network Executive Vice President Bob Daly learned about Selleck's movie offer, production on Magnum P.I. began immediately. This ended Selleck's opportunity to become Indiana Jones' shoes and cleared the way for Harrison Ford to take on the iconic role.
Spielberg added, "What happened was George at the same time asked me to come look at a rough cut of the second Star Wars movie, Empire Strikes Back. I went up to Northern California, went to the screening room, sat in a room, saw Empire Strikes Back, which I adored. And when the screening was over, we were talking about the movie with about 30 or 40 people, I pulled George aside and I said, 'George, what about that guy who plays Han Solo to play Indiana Jones?'"
"George looked at me funny and said, 'But he's Han Solo.' I said, 'I know, but, you know, John Wayne might have been in the same Western forever, but he played different characters.'" After some thought, George caved in to Spielberg's vision, Harrison read for the part, and film history was forever changed.
Tom Selleck's breakthrough role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum P.I. cemented his status as a major TV star and Hollywood celebrity. The drama series lasted from 1980 to 1988, and Selleck went on after the show's finale to star in other television roles and mainstream movies, including In & Out, Friends, Boston Legal, Las Vegas, and Blue Bloods. In 2024, Selleck wrote about his missed opportunity to play Indiana Jones in his memoir, You Never Know, as reported by PEOPLE.
As for Selleck's famous mustache, Spielberg admitted he wouldn't have let the now 81-year-old Emmy winner keep it if he had been cast as Indiana Jones. "Maybe if the films were as successful, he could have demanded the mustache later," Spielberg joked.
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