Channing Tatum attends the Versace FW23 Show at Pacific Design Center on March 09, 2023 in West ... [+]
From leading the charge with the Magic Mike movie trilogy to co-starring alongside Sandra Bullock in last year’s blockbuster The Lost City, Channing Tatum has become a certified household name, as he is now one of the most sought-after Hollywood movie stars. As Tatum, 43, looks to explore even more creative outlets today, his greatest inspiration continues to come from his most important role – fatherhood.
“What being a dad has sort of irrevocably changed in me is softness,” Tatum told me of his relationship with his daughter Everly, who turns 10 on May 31. “I think if I had a boy, it would have been a lot harder road. I think I would’ve eventually learned the same softness, I hope, but it wouldn’t have been as obvious that was what I needed to learn. ”
Channing Tatum with his daughter Everly.
Over the past couple of years, Tatum’s paternal ways have “sparked” a newfound interest in writing children’s book, including his latest release The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie. Centered around a wildly imaginative little girl with the nickname Sparkella and her playfully supportive dad, this third Sparkella book focuses on the importance of honesty, a tale that he believes people of all ages can appreciate in today’s world.
Channing Tatum holding a copy of his third "Sparkella" children's book.
“It’s really tough now. What is even real and truthful today feels like it doesn’t mean anything and there are no lines anymore. What is truthful, I believe, and I do believe in the most simplistic way, you do know what you feel inside. Is this making me feel good or is this actually a little toxic feeling, or am I afraid? Do I feel bad about this? That’s where I think, even older people, they need to learn how to check-in again.”
Tatum went on to tell me that turning 40 was a bit of a wake-up call for him, adding that he now takes a little better care of himself and puts less pressure on himself to work. These days, Tatum said he cherishes his time outdoors and getting physical with riding dirt bikes, mountain bikes and fast street bikes to both challenge him and stay in shape.
That “need for speed” (if you will) Tatum has in his real-life seems to be inspiring some of his next Hollywood projects. “We’re playing around with an Isle of Man story - it’s a motorcycle race in the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. We’re getting somewhere with Ghost, the remake of [the 1990 film] Ghost. I won’t tell you any more about that but Ghost is really getting somewhere we can really be proud of and really want to go make.”
As for the projects Tatum has already finished filming, he stars in the upcoming Pussy Island, directed by Zoë Kravitz. He also has completed Project Artemis with his co-star Scarlett Johansson, which Tatum calls “a giant movie” about the mysteries and rumors surrounding the 1969 moon landing.
Channing Tatum attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg ... [+]
Coming from an early Hollywood career with breakout roles in such films as Coach Carter, She’s The Man and Step Up, I wondered how Tatum’s mentality towards the business side of Hollywood has evolved over these past two decades.
Tatum said, “The movie industry is just changing so much. It’s a different era now and it’s just getting crazier with the streamers. I do fear a little for the storytelling of it all. I think there will be less good storytelling and a lot more product out there.”
Tatum went on to tell me that people no longer make a movie anymore just because it needs to be made, but rather, you have to know that you have about an 80% chance of making your money back. He recalls his Magic Mike sequel in 2015 having a rather skewed approach between the filmmaking budget and other business expenses.
“We made Magic Mike 2 for $12 million dollars and they spent $60-$70 million dollars to sell it. So, we’re spending exponentially more money to sell a movie than actually make the thing for you. That should be the other way around. We could be spending the money on the thing that the viewer is actually going to get to see and now it’s just who can create the most noise to break through the cataclysmic wave of content coming out every single day.”
When I asked Tatum if he strives to fight against some of the new ways of Hollywood with his original content he strives to put out, he said, “Every day. Every single day.” He added, “It’s just a learning process every day. We have the writer strike right now. We’re probably going to have the actor and director strikes, maybe. Things will always be changing and that is the only thing that is constant.”
