In 1980, Tom Selleck vowed to never call Magnum, P.I. by its full title and hasn’t broken his promise since then. But what’s the reason for such a weird decision?
Today, Tom Selleck is among the most celebrated and renowned TV stars in the world, and for the past 14 years, he’s been mostly acting in Blue Bloods. The actor’s real breakthrough, meanwhile, happened almost 45 years ago, back in 1980! That’s when the pilot episode of Selleck’s Magnum P.I. premiered and the audience immediately fell in love with his charming detective.
But during these 45 years, Tom Selleck has been exclusively referring to his iconic series as “Magnum” instead of “Magnum, P.I.” — and few people know why.
Tom Selleck’s Vow Is Rooted in His Principles
The obvious reason for Selleck’s disregard for his legendary show’s official title would be his aesthetic preference or an internal joke of sorts, but the actor’s vow had nothing to do with those things. Having lived in Hawaii for a while before starting the series, Selleck knew more about the local customs than the showrunners.
“[They] called me and said, ‘The studio wants to change the title. They want to call it Magnum, P.I.’ I said, ‘That’s a horrible title.’ I had been in Hawaii for a while during the actors’ strike at the time, and PI is a [local] derogatory term for a Philippine islander. I have vowed to never call it that. The show’s called Magnum,” Selleck recently shared with Esquire.
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Tom Selleck Hasn’t Changed His Stance Since
This whole ordeal happened back when Magnum, P.I. — sorry, just Magnum — was only beginning. The TV show quickly became popular, skyrocketing Tom Selleck’s career and making him one of the most recognized TV stars in the US and later, in the world as a whole. However, no amount of money and fame changed his stance.
Today, 45 years later, Tom Selleck still exclusively refers to his iconic series as Magnum and often inserts jokes like, “and remember, the show is called Magnum” in his interviews even when it’s blatantly off-topic. Seeing how the series was set in Hawaii, Selleck didn’t want the Philippine islanders to feel insulted by its title — and he still doesn’t want that to happen now.
Somehow, the notorious 2018 remake still received the title with “P.I.” despite the original actor’s decades-long protest against it.