Tom Selleck is a veteran actor known for his iconic roles in projects like Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I., and, Three Men and a Baby. Alongside being an iconic actor, Selleck was also a kind human being!
Starring in some iconic series throughout the years, Selleck was the main lead of the 1980 series Magnum P.I. When the studio refused to give a bonus to all the crew members of the show, Selleck made a genius move.
The Studio Wasn’t Ready To Give Out Bonuses
Well, Magnum P.I. starred Tom Selleck in the lead role and the series became one of the most iconic classic shows of all time in Hollywood. Based on Thomas Magnum, a private investigator in Hawaii, the show ran for 8 seasons.
In his new memoir, “You Never Know” (via Business Insider), the actor revealed that when he was called for the shooting of the eighth and final season of the series, he had a certain condition.
Selleck revealed that he asked CBS to pay each crew member a $1000 bonus (which is equal to $3000 today). However, CBS refused stating that “it would set a dangerous precedent”.
They always invoked precedent when you had an original thought beyond their contractual boilerplate. Honestly, that pissed me off.
Well, Tom Selleck had stated earlier that he didn’t want to make another Magnum P.I. series just for the money. Since CBS decided to waive the bonus talks, Selleck had to think outside the box.
As the memoir continued, the F.R.I.E.N.D.S star revealed that the studio wasn’t able to give the crew members a bonus, but the same was not the case for Selleck himself!
Tom Selleck Found His Way
What happened next was quite a genius move on Selleck’s part. As the memoir continued, the actor revealed that to give the crew a $1000 bonus, he had to get creative with the studio.
Tom Selleck revealed that when the studio rejected his request for the crew bonus, Selleck himself asked for a “substantial” bonus for himself. CBS agreed.
Selleck further wrote that he waited until the production of the series was finished and then, he called Universal Studios and CBS.
I called Skip and Bettye and told them to tell Universal — not ask them tell them — to issue thousand-dollar checks to every regular member of our ‘Magnum’ company in both Hawaii and LA. And that since it was coming out of my bonus money, there was no precedent involved.
Selleck further revealed that he received a photo sometime later of the crew members in L.A. having big smiles on their faces and holding a big $1000 check.