Channing Tatum, who you may be aware has a new film called Fighting opening in theaters tomorrow, is featured in the new issue of Interview magazine lookin’ all kinds of hot. Here are a couple photos from Channing’s photospread for Interview along with a portion of his interview for the mag with Marlon Wayans:
The story of Channing Tatum seems to reinforce the validity of the spectacular arc of life in movies. Take, for example, this brief rundown of essential plot points so far: He is born in a small town (Cullman, Alabama); he overcomes his early outsider status to become a popular kid (and even winds up playing football); he gets into hip-hop dancing (after seeing a guy do head spins at a local club); he is discovered on the street (by a modeling agent); he gets cast in a critically acclaimed independent film (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, 2006); he lands a part in a big studio film (Step Up, 2006); and he is tapped for unmitigated superstardom (at least a lot of people are betting on it). It doesn’t hurt that Tatum is—and, by all accounts, has always been—very good-looking. But watching him onscreen, it’s clear that his face and his good luck aren’t his most important assets. In his brief career, Tatum has shown a special aptitude for playing highly physical characters whose actions often articulate more than their words … The next few months are busy ones for the 29-year-old Tatum. He recently reunited with Montiel for Fighting, a film about underground grapplers, and he also plays Pretty Boy Floyd in Michael Mann’s highly anticipated John Dillinger film, Public Enemies, which is headlined by Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. But the Hollywood industrial complex seems to have bet the farm on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Tatum plays the indomitable soldier Duke, who—as any fan of the ’80s cartoon series can tell you—is the embodiment of all that is right and good, and the unquestionable star of the show. The film co-stars Dennis Quaid, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller, Ray Park, Christopher Eccleston, and Tatum’s interviewer here, Marlon Wayans:
MARLON WAYANS: So when did you start hip-hop dancing?
CHANNING TATUM: I think when I was around 15. My sister was friends with the manager of a nightclub, and I remember going there to deliver these flyers—her boyfriend did graphic design. So I remember that they got me into this club, and there were these guys in this circle who were flipping and doing all this crazy stuff, and I was just like, “Oh, my god. I want to do that!” I was seeing this guy spin on his head . . .
WAYANS: Can you do head spins?
TATUM: I can get around, like, two or three times, but I’m not graceful at it. I can’t do it like real breakers can.
WAYANS: So how, then, did you get discovered?
TATUM: At one point I just decided, “All right, I’ve got to try to do something with my life.” So I went down to Miami, and somebody saw me on the streets, and that’s how I got into modeling.
WAYANS: So you were just hanging out on the streets of Miami with your shirt off, and someone was like, “Oh, he’s fly. I’m going to make him a model”?
TATUM: Yeah, pretty much.
WAYANS: That would never have happened to me—although I was found in the streets, too. [Tatum laughs] Who did you model for?
TATUM: [pauses] Abercrombie & Fitch . . .
WAYANS: [laughs] I love it! How could you keep that from me?
TATUM: Why do you think I kept it from you?
WAYANS: [laughs] There are certain things you tell people up-front, like, “I’ve got herpes,” or, “I was an Abercrombie model.” So when you were modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch, were you, like, the dude who stands outside the store all greased up, with abs that go all the way down to his perineum?
TATUM: Nah, man. I was actually one of the guys in the catalog. I had to put on a chicken suit at one point. I was like a mascot. We were in a locker room, and there were a bunch of dudes with abs all the way down to their . . . whatever the hell—their perineums? And then I was in the chicken suit standing next to them . . . [Wayans continues to laugh] Stop.
WAYANS: Okay . . . [laughs some more] So what did you do after that? What was the progression?
TATUM: I did some campaigns, and then . . . I don’t know. Modeling was successful for me. I didn’t have to wait tables or anything like that, so that was nice. And I got to see the entire world. Then I auditioned for a Pepsi commercial, and I got it, and that was incredibly fun. So I thought, Well, maybe I should try this acting thing . . .
WAYANS: When we were doing the shooting scenes on G.I. Joe, you were a little bit better versed at using the guns than a lot of the guys. You want to explain that?
TATUM: I’m from Alabama—I like guns.
WAYANS: Did y’all get them for birthday gifts when you were, like, 3 years old? How long have you been shooting?
TATUM: Well, the first and only time I went hunting, I shot a deer, and it mortified me. I just couldn’t do it again. But I know a lot about guns, so I go to the gun range and stuff like that with friends sometimes.
WAYANS: [Y]ou are physically gifted. I mean, I’ve seen you do flips and
things . . . You’re like Spider-Man without the costume on. You climbed out my window once, and I was like, “This boy is half monkey.” [Tatum laughs] Have you ever gotten hurt on a film?
TATUM: When we were doing Fighting, I broke my nose and had a concussion. In the middle of the scene, this guy literally pushed my nose back into place with two spoons. He was just like, “Don’t worry about it.” And I was like, “What?” He had a bucket of ice and two metal spoons . . .
WAYANS: You had a good ol’ ghetto doctor. That’s the way my dad used to fix my broken stuff. You also got to do a movie with Michael Mann, PublicEnemies, which I’m extremely jealous about . . .
TATUM: That was absolutely nuts. Essentially, for me, it was kind of like having an extra’s part. I flew in for one day, and it was like the length of a commercial shoot. All I did was run from Christian Bale in an orchard all day—I played Pretty Boy Floyd and Christian’s character kills me. The scene kind of introduces Christian Bale’s character, Purvis, who is, like, the head honcho in the FBI. Johnny Depp is in the film, too.
WAYANS: That’s good company. Did Christian Bale yell at you at all?
TATUM: Nothing that wasn’t either merited or scripted. [laughs]
WAYANS: Well, I hope you do more action movies, but I would love to see you do a comedy.
TATUM: Only if it’s with you. I’m not a comedian.I can play off of people, but I’m not that guy.I don’t want people being like, “Yeah, he should have stuck with drama . . .” It would not be my choice to have critics mumbling that.
WAYANS: Is there any actor whose career really inspires you?
TATUM: Man, there are so many dramatic actors where I would give all of my anything to have their careers, but I don’t think I can try to follow anyone. I mean, if you look at any of the greats, from people like Paul Newman and Robert Redford to, you know, Brad Pitt—to get any of the kinds of roles like the ones that they’ve gotten, or just to be a part of any of the kinds of movies they’ve made, would be the end-all for me.
Oh man, I love me some Channing. You gotta agree that his movies are more about how the action speaks rather than how the man speaks himself but, as I’ve said all along, I don’t mind one bit. There is much more of the interview to be read HERE and after the jump, check out a couple more photos from his Interview photospread — trust me, you don’t want to miss these pics …
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