Tom Selleck Talks Jesse Stone's Return, Luke Perry's Mullet, Magnum's 35th Anniversary

Tom Selleck is back as Jesse Stone this Sunday in his ninth TV movie as the famed Robert B. Parker detective and the first of two new films for the franchise’s new home, Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

In Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise, the Paradise police chief decides to consult on an unsolved case in Boston. “The Boston Ripper,” a serial killer of prostitutes played by Luke Perry, is already behind bars after confessing to multiple murders — but he refuses to take credit for this one, which has all the same markers. Local police believe it had to be him, since the murders stopped and details of the previous crimes were never made public. Jesse will dig deeper, putting himself and others in grave danger.

Once again, Selleck serves as an executive producer on the film and co-wrote the script with Michael Brandman. He spoke with Yahoo TV earlier this month about their interesting casting choice, and

Each time you and Michael decide to return to Jesse Stone, what is your writing process like?
We rewrote just about every movie, but we’ve been writing these as original screenplays from a blank page for quite a while now. We used to think, "Well, what crime do we do this time?” and we’d go nowhere for a couple of months. Then we’d go, “Let’s go back to what this show is, which is character-driven drama, and analyze where all the characters are in their lives.” Because they’re all damaged. Anybody in a Jessie Stone movie, that’s the only requirement. When the actors ask, “How do you see this character?” I say, “I see your character as damaged. You need to find out what the damage is.” Because everybody is.

Once we do that, we have an easier time. Then we tell this story from Jesse’s point-of-view. The audience does not get ahead of Jesse. Some television networks get a little threatened by this, but we welcome the idea of, "Boy, this is interesting, but what’s going on?” That’s what we hope for. Because “what’s going on?” is a very good question. It means the audience is interested. Or, they’re just confused, but I don’t think they have that problem in our movies.

I try walking in Jesse’s shoes, and I don’t know where we’re going with this story. I know the characters he might encounter — the regulars, the new ones. It’s an ongoing process. The hard part for me was because of the time constraints when the deal was finally set [with Hallmark], I had to do it during Blue Bloods, and I’m playing a very different character [New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan] on Blue Bloods. They’re both in law enforcement, but they’re very different. I don’t become someone else when I act, but I do get pretty involved in the character and the situation, and it’s just hard switching gears. Jesse is such a consuming character, as is Frank. We got it done, and that was my biggest fear: “Okay, now we got this deal, and we get to validate the whole franchise again, what am I going to do? I haven’t written a thing about Jesse in four years.” So I as very, very anxious, and I’m very, very proud of the way it turned out.

How did you decide to cast Luke Perry as a serial killer of prostitutes? It’s an interesting, unexpected choice.
Luke was a real interesting choice. I believe in those choices. I think having played so many leads, Luke wouldn’t be given to making the mistake of thinking his character was bad. It’s the Hitler syndrome: Actors get a little intimidated if they have to play Hitler, so they have to wink and nod at the audience that he’s really bad, and you don’t really identify with him. With this serial killer, you need to see the dimension of the fact that he believes in what he’s doing, how he had the charm to talk the girl into getting in the car. You can’t be foaming at the mouth, and we knew he wouldn’t make that choice.

It was a casting choice suggested to us by Leslie Hope, who plays Sydney Greenstreet. She had just filmed a Blue Bloods, and she was great in Jesse Stone before. She said, “I know you’re going to think this is crazy, and I have a conflict — he’s a pal — but you know who would be interested in something like this is Luke Perry.” I talked to Michael, and we didn’t think we could make a deal. We can’t afford Luke. We can’t afford all these actors — they’re really good actors — but they love the chance to do interesting characters. If you look at the work that’s out there, they don’t always get to do that. The actors really step up.

Was it scripted that Luke’s character would have a mullet, or was that something he suggested?
Oh, no that was Luke. I said, “That looks great.” The glasses was Luke. It’s Luke, but it’s a different Luke, and he’s pretty spooky.

As we’re talking about you writing these films and creating these different roles, I’m wondering: We often hear women say that they feel they need to create their own material to have the kind of complex parts they want to play. At this stage in your career, is that something that you feel compelled to do?
No. I love the idea of someone else thinking of me, because what I really do when I read a script is try to fit into whoever’s vision it is in terms of the director and the writer. I don’t think you can only develop your own material. I think there’s a trap in that in that if you’re not careful, you might start writing to what’s in your wheelhouse, is comfortable. I try to write in ways that I know I’m going to have to take a risk as an actor. My dad always said, “Risk is a price you pay for opportunity.” Well that’s very much a page in acting. I have always tried to send the signal that I didn’t want to do vehicles for myself. I don’t mind doing these, but that’s why I was thrilled when something like In &Out came along, or Friends. Being part of a great ensemble is really a wonderful thing. So I think it’s a combination of everything.

There is a benefit to [creating your own material]. Some people are better at producing themselves as a producer than others. I’m pretty objective when I look at my work, and I can go in an editing room and talk about “him” not like it’s me, realize that there’s two sides to every scene and you’ve got to represent the other character’s point-of-view.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Magnum, P.I.’s premiere.
Is that what it is? 35?

Yes. I know someone who years ago bought a Ferrari the same model and color as Magnum’s, because his father wasn’t around when he was young and that show was such a big part of his childhood.
Wow.

What kind of stories do you still hear from fans that keep that experience alive for you?
I hear a lot of stuff from people. Magnum is still very viable: It’s out there [on DVD], and I think other than my shorts being out-of-style, the show is character-driven and it wasn’t really issue-driven. As the Smithsonian recognized, we were the first show to recognize Vietnam veterans in a positive light, but that was a side benefit of the show.

I can’t tell you how many Navy SEALs have come up and said to me, “I joined the SEALs because of Magnum,” and that’s a touching endorsement that I never get tired of hearing.

There’s a MacGyver reboot in the works for TV now. Do you foresee a Magnum reboot? Would you be in support of that?
Oh, I keep hearing about it. I don’t think it would be a reunion show. It should be a very good story on its own. I’ve always been interested in the subject, but I don’t want to do a show just so they can see how all the old regular cast has aged. There’s plenty of good stories left for a Magnum movie, and somebody needs to write one. I don’t know whether they want me to be in it, so good luck if I’m not. (Laughs)

Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise premieres Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. on Hallmark Channel and Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Blue Bloods airs Fridays at 10 p.m. on CBS.