New 'Magnum P.I. star Jay Hernandez is the Latino leading man of our dreams
Mexican-American actor Jay Hernandez landed the role of a lifetime in the CBS reboot of Magnum P.I. The character, made famous in the ’80s by Tom Selleck and his mustache, is back with a Latino, Hernandez, as the leading man. It’s a huge win for the 40-year-old actor and the Latinx community, which remains underrepresented in Hollywood with only 6 percent of speaking roles in TV.
“There’s a lot of negativity attached to people of color, so it’s really wonderful and bold and special to have this opportunity to put that imagery to tell stories and to be on TV and to have something up there that is in very stark contrast to a lot of what we’re absorbing on a subconscious level,” Hernandez told Variety.
Though Magnum is his highest-profile role to date, Hernandez is no stranger to Hollywood. He’s had parts in Nashville and Scandal. He’s also appeared in more than 24 films. Some of his movie credits include Bad Moms and Suicide Squad. His breakout role, where he became everyone’s teen dream, was in the 2001 film Crazy/Beautiful opposite Kirsten Dunst. He said he was drawn to the role because it was a deviation from the average Latino character: “It was so positive and something different. The stereotypes were completely reversed for this film.”
Hernandez is pretty private about his personal life, but we do know he’s been married for 12 years, and he met his wife on set. In 1998, Hernandez and actress Daniella Deutscher starred in the Saturday morning sitcom Hang Time. Eight years later, they tied the knot — and are happily in love!
Magnum P.I. premieres on Sept. 24.
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