Channing Tatum Q&A

23 August 2010

Channing Tatum is making quite a name for himself with the likes of Fighting and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra already under his belt. But the actor showed off his softer side earlier this year with Dear John.

- Lasse told us, when he knew that you were the man for the movie, all he knew was you come from action movies. Channing, how difficult was it for you to prove yourself to do a very different job?

Yeah, I mean, there's an aspect of anxiety going into anything, even an action movie. You know, you always want to be better. And do better, and grow. And this was definitely a departure for me. I played soldiers before, and this is definitely just a different soldier.

And he's just a kid. I had no real fear of just playing a kid. A kid that has been in love and, or, is going to fall in love. And, I've seen his (Lasse’s) movies, and the first thing that he says to me is, I'm gonna give you the same freedom that I gave Leo in Gilbert Grape. And I was just like, what?

I have no idea what that means. So I'm, like, go back and you just read the script and you just do your work and you show up prepared.

And we'd, what we did was, we had a really clear picture of who John was supposed to be. And it was very clear. It was very still and John is not a very complicated person at all. He's very raw, and I kind of looked at him as a blank canvas, you know. He went into the military because he was lacking things in his life.

You know, his father never could teach him any real social tact. Or any social abilities, really, and how to connect. So he goes into the military to really try to learn how to start to become a man. And start to deal with, have the skills to deal with life. And I think now this is just the next step.

She comes into his life and now teaches him how to love. And really, that leads on to his relationship with his father. And it's just sad that it's, this is probably his first love. You know, and it's really, I keep saying it, but it's really hard to get that first love right. You know, it's almost impossible.

Some people could do it; they have to slog through it, but they do it. And it's gonna be painful. But I wasn't really nervous for some reason, 'cause I think Lasse, you know, everyone's seen his movies, and they are so sort of powerful.

And he kind of exudes such a calm, sort of confidence, that, knowing that he's sitting right over there, kind of watching your back.

And he wants you to find out where it's not. Like, he would constantly always be, like, let's, let's just, let's go for it. Let's go crazy. Let's do it over-the-top.

Just see what happens. And you do it over-the-top, and you're, like, that felt terrible. And he's, like, go farther. I want you to go farther. And you're just like, oh God!

I just feel like this is horrible. And he's just like, no. Just wanted to see if it was where, if it wasn't any farther than that. So you really felt like you couldn't do anything wrong, really.

But I would have been nervous too. Sorry. I would have been nervous too, having a, having, you know, an action kid in there as well.

- Did you read the book before you read the script?

Yeah, for sure. They, Temple Hill called me up and they said they had a Nicholas Sparks novel that they wanted me to read. And I knew who he was because of The Notebook.

And my wife cries her eyes out every single time at that movie. And, you know I don't cry. I'm not a crier. No, I'm just kidding. You, every- I think everybody has an emotional reaction to that film.

And to his stuff in general. He knows how to make those characters special and unique and once-in-a-lifetime sort of love, and, and I knew that, so I read it.

And it seemed like this, this had a little bit more of a bite to it than some of his other films that I had seen. And then I just fell in love with John.

And then we met with Jamie Lyndon, which really was the perfect person to write this because he, I think he really understood what it is to make, to have a novel and know how to make that translate, you know, to a screenplay.

Pick the best parts, take the notes and improvise on certain places that maybe they didn't go in the book. Like the father scene in the hospital. Not in the book, you know.

And, and I, it's one of the things he came in and just knew. Immediately. Emphatically that it had to be in the movie. And it choked everyone up when he talked about, it choked him up when he was saying it in the meetings, it meant something to him.

And, you know, we knew he had gold in that scene. So I mean, that's just one of those things that when, it's so, I had such a good time being on the creative beginning of a film, and taking it to the end.

- Was it tough for you, that scene, or are you a good crier?

No. I'm actually not. I'm pretty afraid to try to, you know, I don't know, I don't cry at movies all that much unless a dog dies, or a horse, or something.

I'm more, you know, people die, I'm just like, ah, whatever. But, no, animals get me, you know. I don't know why, really. But...

- You used to work in an animal hospital?

I worked at a puppy/kitty nursery. Yes, I have a real big affinity for animals, for sure. And I think I owe that scene to Richard Jenkins, really. I mean, I gotta constantly throw it back to him because I definitely got emotional in all the rest of the scenes, but he took that scene into another place.

That was the only scene that he reached up and grabbed my head or and held my hand or whatever. And it just tore me out from the inside. It was the only sort of scene that we'd done where I just read it.

I didn't try to look up and mean any of it to him. And it made sense when me and Lasse were talking and he's like, you know what? I just want you to read it.

Like, just like you wrote it, because John writes it because he doesn't know how to look at his father in the eye and just say these things to him. And he wouldn't be able to find it in the moment, so he does what he thinks is the right thing to do. And just takes his time and expresses himself the only way he knows how. And he can't even look at his father because he just wouldn't be able to even finish it.

And then, right at the end of the scene, he reaches up and touches his son and that just finished me for sure. So I give it up to him.

- Are you a romantic guy?

I don't know. I have a wife, so I mean, obviously I'm doing something slightly right. And she hasn't divorced me yet, and we're about six months in, so I don't know. I mean, I think if you play, if you're playful, and I like to play and have fun in a relationship.

And that is, that's romance to me. I mean, it's not that hard to be thoughtful. Like, it's just not. Like, write a note. Put it in her purse and say, saying just simply three words. I mean, it's not that hard.

- Take it from the movies.

Yeah. Exactly. Clean the house. Put a note. I'm just kidding. You just, obviously, and you just make, you make fun. You know with it, and you just let her know that you love her and that I think that's where romance starts. And it's just not that hard to be thoughtful. To me, personally.

- Are you already thinking about Valentine's Day?

You know what? I'm not very good on holidays. I do things all throughout the year, but I'm very, very bad at thinking like, oh, hah, Valentine's Day is here.

Shit. You know, you gotta figure out something really good. You gotta pull like a Houdini act. And I feel like it's always, you're always, like, you need fireworks and stuff.

- Just another diamond ring, big deal.

Yeah. You know, you just got to go to Tiffany's again.

- I'm thinking of writing notes. I mean, and it, and I see this in Dear John, he always, he likes letters and, no one writes letters anymore.

No.

- What do you think about that? Like, that's an important part of the story?

Yeah. I think, I think Nicholas Sparks puts letters in his movie. One, because I think he's addicted to the written word. You know, obviously, he's a writer. And I think it means something to him, and I think it definitely meant more back in the day.

He typed down letters on a keyboard and it'd go into some place where you don't know where that is, and then it shows up somewhere else. And it's nothing tangible, you know. You can't. When you would talk to soldiers, they'd be always, be like, they smell like my wife. Or it smelled like my house.

It would be her handwriting. I could tell whether if there's a smudge on it, then she might have been crying when she was writing it. There's mustard on the corner that you could tell she was eating her favorite sandwich, or just little things like that.

It's like Christmas, waiting to get a present. And then when it shows up, it's a package and you open it, and it's just really gratifying. It's really substantial that you can, you know, she spent time on it. Or he spent time on it.

- I don't follow. When did you get married?

Six months ago. So, six, seven months ago. Something like that.

- How?. sorry I don't read tabloids..

Thank you. Thank you for not reading them.

- How did you meet?

We met on Step Up. She walked in on the audition and she just was the girl. And we did a movie together. It was a little dance movie called Step Up.

And we've just been...and we really loved each other. And that's, I don't know if it's boring, or too romantic or not, but that's just the way it was.

- You make a pretty good couple at a dance competition. You're ready for that, right?

You know, there's so much pressure whenever we go out. Everybody's like, what are they gonna do? They're gonna do a dance ? No, they're just hugging. Damn. And it's always like a big sort of pressure on it, but you know, we, every once in awhile, we go out and cut it up, but, you know...

- You've got to try the salsa clubs.

Where are they? I would love to, I need to...

- They're all over the place. All over the place.

I would love to do that.

- The tango. Argentinean tango place.

But I'm not allowed to go until I actually learn how to salsa really well because if anyone dances with my wife better than I can dance with her, I'm gonna get really jealous, I'm sure.

- You are jealous?

Yeah. She's worse than I am. Are you kidding me?

- What about this movie? I mean, there are a lot of reasons to be jealous.

She's jealous about different things. I don't even know what I could even say, but I guess it's really interesting 'cause we always talk about girls, or she is. She hates when she sees me have a connection with another girl in a movie. I hate seeing anyone touch her, you know. I'm just like, that's mine.

Don't touch it. I'm like a kid with a toy. Like it's mine. For girls, it's more sentimental. They just don't want to see you have that sort of thing with someone, and I know guys it's usually always like you just don't want to see them have a sex scene with somebody.

I'd rather see her be naked in a film than have a sex scene with somebody. It's harder not to look at. Guys are visual animals, anyway, so it's harder to suspend disbelief, but the cool thing is that I know when Jenna is, like, had a bad dream.

I know when she's gonna be in a good mood at the beginning of the day, or a bad mood. So I definitely know when she's being herself on screen and when she's doing something that isn't her, so, I mean, it's one of those...we just know each other really well, so...

- Did being in a relationship benefit your performance? And also, Amanda's, as both of you are, kind of...

Yeah.

- In the first brewing of your relationship.

And with real boundaries and safety, like, nets. And just kind of open up in a really different way. And it's a really weird way to explore a relationship and a romance.

- Is that true that you are connected to this project Knockout?

Yeah. I'm going to the training for it tomorrow, as soon as all of this is over. I go into training for it tomorrow with Mossad trainers and ex-military and, you know, crazy people, and Gina Cry.

I'm more nervous to have to fight her than anything. I mean, I don't know if you guys know who she is, but she's a MMA fighter. People say no woman can beat up a guy. I dare you to say it to her. I triple, I would pay a lot of money to see you say that to her.

'Cause I'm not saying it to her at all. Like, I'm gonna be like, how are you not going to knock me out in this scene, because she is a knockout specialist, and she's tough, man.

- How can you laugh at yourself for this? You know, that story you just told us. And that's important in this business, to be able to take it with you, but not take yourself too serious.

Yeah, I mean when you put yourself out there in film, if you can't laugh at yourself, you do not need to be in this industry. 'Cause there are gonna be people that utterly hate you out there. And if you can't just laugh off people that don't like you that's just, I don't know, you're behind the eight ball in my head, 'cause...And now look, I like laughing.

You know, there's no better person to laugh at than yourself. In my book, if you're taking things too serious, yeah, I think you need to figure it out. You know, 'cause things in life is just gonna get way too serious. Life is, especially right now, the way things are.

And we're in a great industry for, to be in a recession or a depression, or whatever you want to call this that we're in. It's harder out there for people that don't know how to laugh, than people that do know how to laugh. Sure.

- How would you relax on a perfect day off?

Perfect day off? Chocolate cake, fried chicken, and a good movie and a comfy couch. I really like my dogs. I have a house full of them!

- Are they all female?

Yeah. All females. So I got a bunch of estrogen in the house. And so...

- How do you like living together?

It's fun. You know, I like just sitting around and just being together. I mean, we have a crazy enough life, around doing all this stuff, so it's fun to just sit and be normal.

- You feel like having kids?

I do. I absolutely do. Jenna needs the next three years or two years, to be more career oriented. And really, she wants to do an action movie, like I said, she's a better athlete than I am. Better athlete than I could ever be.

And she needs to have her action movie. She needs to show the world what she can do, 'cause I don't think people get how unbelievably talented she is. And tough. Really, really tough. And, you know, so I'm interested to see where it would go for the next two years for her.

- Do you think you'll make another movie together?

I would love to, actually. I'm sort of in my mad, crazy head trying to, we're coming up with, like, sort of a, it's a cheesy name, or a cheesy description of it, a fantastical sort of adventure dansical type thing.

And kind of like a Pan's Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz type of a thing. You know, a real big adventure type film that we would get to do it up again and...

- Twelve Princesses?

What is it?

- Twelve Princesses is a fairy tale. Perfect for dance.

Twelve Princesses. I gotta go look it up. What? I don't know that one.

- Hans Christian Andersen.

Really?

- Don't forget to mention me in the credits.

I will. I really will. I'll give you a producer credit. Don't worry about it. They throw those around really easy. Yeah, you know, I definitely, I want to, I want to have another, we always shoot little shorts and do kind of, you know, creative things around. She's my muse. I love her. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

- Can you talk a little bit about your background? How you grew up? What your parents did?

Southern. You know, the south is really interesting. It's very sweet, but it's very fixed, and certain ways. Racism has come in very weird, in and out of the south.

And it's still segregated, but racism in where I grew up, you know, I went to, my last two years of private school, and it was really strange.

It was still segregated, but everybody kind of got along really well, you know. And, you know, we were always, there was never problems, you know.

So that was a big part of, sort of my upbringing. And then, you know, culture and dancing, there's Spanish culture all in Florida and I think I kind of grew up around that a lot.

And my Dad's from New Orleans and, you know, my Mom's from Alabama, so, southern food and hospitality and chivalry and all that stuff, you know, kind of got inbred in me. And other than that, I mean, I don't know.

I mean, that's pretty much it. My Mom and Dad are still together, for better or worse. You know, and probably worse. (LAUGH) But, yeah, they love each other, you know, and they'll never, they'll never leave each other, you know, it's great.

- Would you like to bring up your family, when you have one, in the country? Do you mean, like, the country in California? Would you actually like to go back to the south?

Maybe, maybe not the, maybe not the south, 'cause I have family there, and I have a place to go there. So probably just picture perfect would be Colorado or somewhere where I could live in the mountains. And I don't even have to have a plane fly over my house. You know, like, I just want to, and it's not that I don't like people.

I just don't like them very close. And, I don't know, I just, I really love the country, and, you know, take a walk outside and not have your dogs on a leash.

It's just a different pace of life. You can relax. And you can just kind of chill out. I love New York for what it is. For what it is it’s great. You go, it's energy pumped and filled, but they put the trash right out on the sidewalk where you walk, and I just can't stand the smell. I have an air quality thing, and it's not much better here.

(LAUGH) It's not worse. I don't know, I just, I really, I love animals, and I love horses.

And hopefully, I'm gonna start a foundation soon that will be kind of animal-related with troubled kids or handicapped kids. So I'll be able to have a place closer to me than Alabama that I can go and retreat to. And have my little animal time.

Dear John is out on Blu-ray and DVD on now.