'My Mother Has Never Been Prouder Of Me': Jay Hernandez On CBS's 'Magnum P.I.'

(CBS Local)-- "Magnum P.I." returns to CBS for season two on January 31 and series lead Jay Hernandez still can't believe he gets to play Thomas Magnum.

The actor didn't get into the Hollywood scene until a little later in his life and never imagined taking this acting journey.

"I never thought I'd be playing this character and never thought there would be a reboot of this thing," said Hernandez in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "Prior to me getting the first exploratory role from the reps, I caught an episode of Magnum P.I. with Tom [Selleck] in Hawaii with the beautiful backdrops with the mountains and the water and two to three months I was doing the exact same thing. Pretty much frame by frame the same scene that I caught randomly on TV. The show is fun and my castmates are great. It's such an iconic character. My mother has never been more proud of me."

FULL INTERVIEW:

In addition to "Magnum P.I.," Hernandez has been in popular movies like "Bad Moms," "Friday Night Lights," and "World Trade Center." The lead actor of the CBS series has come a long way since he contemplated walking away from acting five or six years ago.

"There was a time around 2014 or 2015 where I was like I'm done because I want to do other things," said Hernandez. "There were a lot of other things I still wanted to do. It was just before Suicide Squad and I booked Suicide Squad. It presented a lot of other opportunities and it pulled me back in. You have to be open to experiences and the shifting winds because they take you along for the ride."

Hernandez says one of the best parts of doing "Magnum P.I." is that the show brings kids and older viewers to the table.

"Season two has a lot of similar stuff. Obviously a lot of action," said Hernandez. "One of the best things about the show is that it touches on so many different demographics. Kids can watch it with their grandparents and they both enjoy. I fly quite often and you see people from all walks of life. They are really watching the show. Kids really love the show. It's not overly violent and it's light. There's a lot of comedic beats. There's a lot of action, I'm constantly running."