JAY’S MAGNUM OPUS

Wereyouafanofthe originalseries? The Suicide Squad actor is living his childhood dream

Reboots and remakes are everywhere in the television world right now. The latest series to get a makeover make is beloved ’80s detective drama MagnumPI. The new version is already so popular in the US, it’s been renewed for a second season! We chat with Jay Herandez, who’ll be playing the iconic titular character.

I used to watch it as a kid! I’ve always loved it. Randomly, a month before I got the call to meet with the producers, I caught one of the old episodes playing on TV – and here I am. It’s crazy and just so cool. We’ll be shooting in Hawaii and I’ll get fans running out, saying, “Hey, Magnum!” That’s my name out there – people don’t know me as Jay. It’s surreal that I’ve become the character that I used to watch.

Did you feel any pressure to live up to the original?

Everyone asks me about filling the big shoes of Tom Selleck, but I couldn’t care less about the pressure. I thought it would be a great opportunity to do something special and new. Tom was such an individual and no-one is ever going to be that guy, so I figured I would bring the same energy, but it will manifest in a different way because I’m a different person. Little by little, all those critics who said we couldn’t do a remake are watching the show and becoming fans themselves.

The series is packed full of action. Do you get to perform your own stunts?

Oh, yeah! I do quite a bit. It’s a highly ambitious show and if I didn’t do it, we’d be in trouble. I have a double who has also worked on a bunch of Marvel movies – he’s amazing and does the really crazy things that the network won’t let me do – but if I can do it, I definitely will. It’s so much fun.