“Tom Selleck: Beyond the Mustache – Discovering the Man Behind the Icon”
If I were to rank the big names of the 20th century, I might start with you, Tom Selleck, at the top, followed by a few infamous dictators, and then a significant gap. Or perhaps the dictators first. Selleck, leaning in with a knowing smile, raises an eyebrow and chuckles.
“Well, thankfully, my moustache is quite different from theirs,” he says. “But what about Burt Reynolds? He was a big deal in the ’60s. Burt was – and still is – a friend of mine. I didn’t grow it because of him, though I think he might have thought I did.” He pauses thoughtfully. “And then there’s my friend Sam Elliott.”
We’re, of course, discussing moustaches – particularly iconic ones. After all, if you spend any significant time with Tom Selleck, the topic will inevitably come up.
Selleck has quipped that he and his moustache are like two separate stars – that he’s not the diva, but his moustache might be; that while he’d never consider running for office, he can’t speak for the aspirations of his upper-lip accessory. But we know better.
When you think of moustaches, Tom Selleck is likely the first person who comes to mind. Although he’s taken on roles without his signature facial hair, his most famous parts – from Magnum P.I. to Three Men and a Baby, and Quigley Down Under to the debonair Dr. Richard – all have one thing in common: that unmistakable moustache.
“Yeah, I’m aware,” he admits with a grin. “It got to the point where I’d go on talk shows, and they’d say, ‘Tom, we have a surprise – act surprised when everyone in the audience puts on a moustache!’ And I’d have to tell them, ‘Look, I appreciate the effort, but I’ve already done that five times…'”
