Tom Selleck

By Joel Stein

Tom Selleck is in the film The Love Letter, which opens May 21.

Q: The Love Letter is the only movie opening the same week as Star Wars. That's so Magnum.

A: I'm going to see Star Wars. Maybe I can take up one of those seats, and then someone will go to my movie.

Q: In the movie you're a fireman. How come all firemen are good looking?

A: Well, there is a fireman effect. Unfortunately, I'm married, so I wasn't able to test the fireman effect, but I'm issuing an academic paper on it.

Q: Have you ever been turned down for a date?

A: Most of my life. And like most guys, I was a little shy about asking for them. I usually had to get fixed up because I was afraid to ask. Wasn't everybody?

Q: But you're Tom Selleck.

A: I didn't want to meet some woman and say, "Hi, I'm Tom Selleck. Will you go out with me?" That not only struck me as a little vain but a little stupid. You're likely to go out with an ax murderer.

Q: You're, like, the new N.R.A. guy.

A: No I'm not. I joined the N.R.A. to do that ad. And I, like most Americans, have felt shattered by recent events, and I think it's vanity to assume that someone who disagrees with your political agenda is any less concerned.

Q: You're like the friendly Harrison Ford. You have the manly traits but not much attitude.

A: You said that; I didn't. Harrison can afford to be whatever you said he was.

Q: How many times a year is Steve Guttenberg calling, trying to persuade you to do Three Men and an Anything; please God, Anything?

A: Steve calls me, and I call him, two or three times a year. The main reason we'd like to do another one is that the three of us had so much fun. But I'm not out there hawking Three Men and a Senior Citizen.

--By Joel Stein