The Tom Selleck mustache style is one that’s followed the A-list actor since the 80s. So when he was spotted with a change to his iconic facial hair, it threw people for a loop!
Believe it or not, Tom Selleck has appeared in several roles without his iconic ‘stache. But ever since his breakout role in Magnum P.I., it’s difficult to remember or think of Tom without his trademark facial hair.
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As a fun fact, the initial creator of Magnum P.I. originally had very different ideas for the leading role. When TV legend Glen A. Larson passed the pilot script along to producer Donald Bellisario, it portrayed Thomas Sullivan Magnum as a James Bond knockoff.
The Tom Selleck Magnum P.I. Mustache Battle
At that time, the James Bond character was stylish, debonaire and clean-shaven. But this was not the kind of look Tom Selleck, with his mustache style, wanted to portray. He preferred Magnum to be more of a laid-back, average Joe.
"I just don't want to play what I look like," he told Donald Bellisario. "You know, everybody always wants to play me as the handsome leading guy. I want to do something with some humor."
In fact, Tom was ready to pass on the role.
"I'll pound roofing nails before I shoot this," he initially announced.
However, producer Donald Bellisario agreed with Tom about the script.
“It was not the best script I'd ever read,” he said. Donald went on to explain, “It was a rip on 007. It was about a guy, a private eye named Magnum who was ex-CIA who lived in a house on a cliff, and he had this ferocious killer dog that kept everybody at bay and he would fly hang-gliders with machine guns on the wings.”
So, with Glen A. Larson’s approval, Donald reworked the concept into the version of Magnum P.I. we all know and love today. And with those changes, Tom Selleck (and his mustache) was in!
The Blue Bloods Mustache
The famous mustache followed Tom Selleck into his role as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan on the show Blue Bloods. However, that almost wasn’t the case.
"The director said, ‘Maybe you ought to play this guy without a mustache,'” Tom recalled during an interview in 2017.
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And Tom was entirely open to the idea, fully ready to shave off his famous mustache. In fact, he did his research to make sure it was even permissible for a New York Police Commissioner to have a mustache on duty (spoiler alert: it was). But ultimately, the top brass at CBS insisted Tom Selleck keep his iconic mustache style for the show.
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Tom Selleck’s mustache style has become so popular over the years, that there is even a Facebook page dedicated to it! So, when paparazzi caught the 78-year-old actor running some errands, everyone was shocked to see some major changes to his iconic facial hair.
Because of the 2003 SAG-AFTRA writer’s strike, filming for Blue Bloods went on hiatus. And during that break, Tom Selleck apparently took a hiatus from shaving! He grew out a full beard as a companion to his mustache, as well as let his gray hair shine through.
Because the look is so different from his iconic public image, some thought Tom was unrecognizable. But we think he still looks great. He’s stayed true to his beliefs and has remained down to earth through all these years in Hollywood. And that’s quite a feat!
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As we reflect on Tom Selleck’s remarkable journey with his iconic mustache, may it serve as a reminder to stay true to yourself and who God made you to be!
“Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31
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h/t: Yahoo
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Tom Selleck / Blue Bloods TV