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In his new memoir “You never know” (Published May 7 by Dey Street Books) Tom Selleck, star of hit TV series such as “Magnum, P.I.” and “Blue Bloods,” wrote about the serendipitous event that launched his career.
Read the excerpt below, Don’t miss Tracy Smith’s interview with Tom Selleck on “CBS News Sunday Morning” May 5!
Tom Selleck’s ‘You Never Know’
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Everything is amazing when you think about it.
The child continues dating games And through a clever agent’s machinations, two of Hollywood’s biggest studios think the other is interested in them. This child, who has no acting experience and no desire to become an actor, ends up being ostracized by the president of 20th Century Fox and is immediately invited to the studio’s new talent program. And it’s college basketball that seals the deal. Go find out…you never know. And it all happened so fast that I never once asked myself, why? Why am I doing this? I still don’t know if I can answer that question. I have never had the slightest interest in acting. always. But I actually achieved something in a way I hadn’t planned. I have been offered opportunities that other people would kill for. I was developing a healthy respect for chance.
Don explained the details. The pay starts at just over $100 a week, the Screen Actors Guild minimum, which sounded astronomical to me. I only made money working as a campus representative for United Airlines. The SAG minimum will be enough to secure your own place after the semester ends and start pulling your weight financially. And did I mention that my semester wasn’t that great?
I went to my father’s office to talk about the proposal and ask for his advice. By then, he was managing Coldwell Banker’s offices in the San Fernando Valley.
“I was offered a contract with 20th Century Fox.” I told him. I explained everything. I may have accidentally left out the part about not being able to graduate. He probably listened intently for everything he could make out between the lines. After I finished speaking, he sat for a moment. When he spoke, it was honest, direct, and unwavering. “Well, I guess it’s similar to when your brother Bob got the offer to sign with the Dodgers. It’s one of those opportunities that’s considered special. And if you don’t go for it, you could end up like that. “It’s five, so I might regret it…?”
That was all I wanted to hear. I wasn’t actually asking him for advice on what I was doing. could do do. I asked what I knew. will be do.
At that moment, I remembered the phrase he used. “Risk is the price you pay for opportunity.” I know that? I’m not sure if my dad actually said that, or if he just thinks he did it. But either way, it’s clear he lived that life.
He then said: “You’ll have to tell your United boss right now.”
I knew that, but I secretly hoped he could say, “Oh, it’s okay, son. I’ll call you.”
That man wasn’t my dad.
I said something inappropriate like “Thank you, Dad,” and tried to get up and leave.
As I did, my father spoke almost to himself, but not really. I clearly heard him.
“Don’t let them change you.”
Suddenly: “Don’t let them change you.”
I said nothing more, but I realized how difficult it must have been for my father to give me that advice. Thanks to the executive training program I received at United Airlines during my two years at USC, he felt I was a step ahead at a company where he really understood the business. Having worked in LA, he should have been well aware of the dangers of show business. He heard all the stories of wasted lives. He certainly didn’t want his son to get sucked into that swamp. So he knew the danger. However, he still did not hesitate to give advice freely.
From Tom Selleck’s ‘You Never Know’. Copyright © 2024 Thomas Selleck. Excerpted with permission from Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. The excerpt has been edited for length.
Get the book here:
Tom Selleck’s ‘You Never Know’
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For more information:
- “You Never Know: A Memoir” by Tom Selleck and Ellis Henican (Dey Street Books) (hardcover, large print, ebook, and audio formats), available May 7
