Tom Selleck made his movie debut in Myra Breckinridge in 1970. He starred alongside the legendary Mae West.
Before he got the role, he had to audition for it, and he told The Talk hosts today it was not your ordinary audition.
The sex symbol told him to come up sometime to her place so that he could read for the part with her.
When they were done, she asked him to come over to her. Then she instructed him to put his hands on her waist and spread his legs!
Was she going to find out if he had a rocket in his pocket? Nope! The larger-than-life star was only 5′ tall, and she wanted to make sure the 6’4″ was not towering over her in their scene together.
So he did as she instructed, and the rest is Hollywood history and the start of one helluva career.
When they made that movie, West was 77 years old. Selleck is now two years older than she was when they worked together. She had a 60-year career, and he is going into his if you count his debut on The Dating Game in 1965.
It is as though she transferred her legacy onto him, and I bet neither one of them thought that would be the case with a small role that made a big difference in his life.
If you would like to see West and Selleck’s scene together, then click here.
