Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor, film producer, dancer, and model. Tatum was cast in minor roles in films including Coach Carter and War of the Worlds. His breakthrough role was in the 2006 dance film Step Up which introduced him to a wider audience. He is known for his portrayal of the character Duke in the 2009 action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and its 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation; though both G.I. Joe films received negative reviews from critics, they were commercially successful, grossing more than $300 million at the box office. He is also known for his portrayal as Magic Mike in the 2012 comedy film Magic Mike, which he produced and was inspired by his early life, and Greg Jenko in the action comedy film 21 Jump Street and its 2014 sequel, 22 Jump Street, based on the 1987 television series of the same name. All three films were critically and commercially successful. Tatum has also appeared in two commercially successful romantic films Dear John and The Vow. His other films include She's the Man, The Dilemma, White House Down and as the voice of Superman in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie.
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» All Actor InterviewsWhat’s up, reddit. Chan here. With the premiere of Magic Mike XXL coming up in a few weeks, I thought I’d expose myself… to your questions. For the next hour, ask away!
Also, I’m offering you all the chance to come to the MMXXL premiere with me to support an awesome cause—you'll ride with me to the premiere, walk the red carpet, see the movie and then check out the after-party. Enter to win here: http://omaze.com/magic
Every entry goes to benefit the Runa Foundation, which works to preserve and support Amazonian farming communities. I've had an amazing experience working with them and learning about the incredible work they're doing to help local people and conserve the rainforest. Please join me in supporting their work and enter to come hang at the premiere! Victoria's helping me get started.
https://twitter.com/channingtatum/status/611269604371869696
Look, I could sit here and tell you how great the cause is, and if that's interesting at all there's information about it and you can go find that. But to be honest, I can promise you that these premieres can be super-lame, but the Magic Mike premiere will be the most fun you will have at one of these things. It's pretty much all of the cast how we hung out on the movie, and we're all really good friends, and there will be a ginormous stripshow after the premiere. If you're into that.
So please enter before my Omaze ends on Friday. http://omaze.com/magic
Thank you for your questions. And thank you also to the farting robot. If that makes sense for you at all.
Is it true that in 7th grade you got in a fight because you wore an "I hate pizza" shirt to school?
Hahahaha what? No. But I fucking wish. That sounds like an awesome story. Because I don't hate pizza. If that did happen I would respect anyone that punched me because I wore that shirt. Because pizza is awesome.
Jupiter Ascending? What was that?
Great question. I have the same one to myself.
Hello Channing Tatum! This is something I've always wanted clarified since it happened...were you ever in Sea-Tac airport at the Chili's restaurant looking for a beer but IDless? I was the one working there who had to make the difficult decision as to whether we could serve you or not.
It all ended with a picture of you giving each of us a peck on the cheek, myself included. It's still one of my favorite stories to tell so I hope I wasn't just duped by a very convincing look-alike.
That absolutely was me. Because I love Chili's. And no one believed me that i got into an airport without my id. I just wanted a beer and some chicken crisps, and i actually couldn't get either of them for a while, because i remember you guys didn't have chicken crisps either! what's a Chili's without chicken crisps?
Do you enjoy making millions of people sexually frustrated on a daily basis?
If that's actually true, then yes.
Would you rather fight a Danny Devito sized John Stamos or a John Stamos sized Danny Devito? You're both naked.
Can i just fight a Danny devito sized Danny Devito because I think I could take him and I would be on top or I could just use him as a spinner as I'm assuming we're going to have sex after we fight if we're naked.
Hey, at least you got your beer! You were an absolute pleasure to have there and were very kind. Plus the girls working there were fangirling for days after you left.
thank you very much, my liver thanks you.
Chatum—is it okay if i call you Chatum? Sorry, that’s not my question. Chatum: what’s the movie you’re most proud to have been in? Is it She’s The Man? I hope it’s She’s The Man.
Hell yeah its okay if you call me Chatum, it's actually way cooler of a name. my favorite movie that Ive been a part of is Magic Mike, wait scratch that. it's Step Up. Where I met my wife. Because if I don't say that my wife will kill me.
What's Jonah Hill like?
that's a complicated one to answer. Jonah is one of the most fascinatingly dualitied people. He can completely be one of the most intellectually smart and quick people that i've ever been around, and then he can come down to my level and just be very kid like and just play without any pretension. I love him. He's like a brother to me.
do you do full frontal in magic mike xxl? asking for a friend
haha "for a friend" I do not do full frontal but i can promise you when you're standing in front of a bunch of people in a very small thong it doesn't leave a lot to the imagination. Your "friend" should be happy.
Hi changing, my question is do you have a favourite Disney character?
I like the broom from Fantasia.
How many times is too many times to see Step Up? I think I may have a problem.
Hahahahaha! I guess you need to see it as many times as it takes you to realize how bad my acting is in it. And fast forward to the dancing parts after that.
Do you ever get lost looking into Matt Bomer's eyes?
absofuckinglutely. no matter if you're a man, woman, cat, hamster, you will get lost in matt bomer's eyes. I don't know what they are made of outside of dreams and rainbows and amazingness but it truly doesn't matter. And when he sings. It's like god gave with both hands and then grew a third hand and graced him with more. he's crazy talented.
Hey Channing!
I've heard you're good friends with Shia LaBeouf. What do you think of his recent motivational speech? Did he bring you to tears and inspire you to chase your dreams?
Do you think you can make your own motivational video and one-up him?
I did see it and if I understood it I might be able to reply with my own response but I'm not sure I actually understood it.
You can only bring three things to an island for the rest of your life. What are they and why?
How about a magical seashell that's always filled with bourbon. And I would like a magical palm tree that had a lot of shade with instead of coconuts there's just peanut butter jelly sandwiches with cheetos underneath. And my wife that is always happy and possibly naked.
Do you like to play video games?
Yeah I do actually. But I don't get to do it at all because I become obsessed with them. The last one i got obsessed with was Far cry 3. Probably the most thorough game I ever beat. probably 97%. We would save it so we could go back and make sure we beat it.
Channing! The world has gotta know, what are the components of your perfect sandwich?
k get ready: it's very complicated.
bread, white. peanut butter, not crunchy, creamy. grape jelly, double portion, more than you think should actually fit on a piece of white bread. bread. and then some cheetos shoved in there, and then you're good to go.
My best friend sent me a screenshot of your Twitter yesterday and said "Ask him why he's so dang hot"
So here I am. Channing Tatum, why are you so dang hot?
And which character of all the films you've been in do you think is the closest to your actual persona? Why?
I don't know. I wish i could come up with something funny for this answer. My mom is beautiful and my dad doesn't suck either.
How long did that "hahahahahahaa" email take to type?
I'm sure exactly how long. I hit the h and a for a long time before I realized I could copy and paste. I'm not the most tech savvy person around but it did become a lot easier and faster.
Hi my name is Ann how are you doing today?
Awesome. You?
Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming Gambit movie?
Thanks for the AMA
we finally found someone that I really do believe wants to make Gambit, it will be the second standalone character. And i just really think because Gambit is not the most popular or the biggest hero, I think there's a really unique opportunity. Marvel's done a lot of great movies that have made a ridiculous amount of money, and it's always good to figure how to change the form.
What is something that not a lot of people know about you?
always a hard question. I think a lot of people of people say how lucky they are. and i don't think people really understand how lucky i am to even be in a conversation like this right now. It's nuts.
I mean, I somehow made a lot of right decisions, I'm sure i made a lot of wrong decisions, but I don't even know the constellation of events that led to me getting there. just how crazy it is. Looking around and seeing how many ridiculously talented people I'm around everyday.
Does your penis have a nickname?
Gilbert.
Gilbert.
What got you into dancing?
To be completely honest, clubbing. i straight learned how to dance in the club. I don't know how to describe it any other way. I never took a dance class or anything, when i was really really young i remember going to the theater with my mom and my sister, so me and my mom sat in the theater away from my sister and her friends, it was Breakin' 1, and my mom said after the movie I started trying to do headstands. My mom said i mortified my sister. But i think I was always fascinated by physical things. But I can't tell you i had any training other than going out to Florida clubs and getting sweaty.
What's the dirtiest thing a fan has ever said to you?
Oh fuck. God let's see. No one has anyone said let's go to the alley and fuck or anything like that. It's kinda shocking that no one has said that. Their behavior gets bizarre and that's the strange part. Also othing that anyone would ever say to me would be worse than what's going on in my head.
Have you done anything recently that made you think, "I can't believe I did that?!"
I just went to Iceland and tried to do a small expedition across the glacier and we didn't make it. We had to be emergency evacuated as there was a white out blizzard which I got to take a poop in. It actually freezes before it hits the ground.
What's currently your favorite TV show and which character do you think embodies you the most?
it's really hard to not want to be Joffrey on Game of Thrones. My favorite thing that I've seen yet wasn't on tv, it was on Youtube. It was called Kung Fury and it was the best thing I've seen in a long time.
I read that you had a Care Bears themed birthday party as a kid - so awesome - Which character is your favorite? Do you still have any of your bears? Thanks! :o)
I was just given a bear for my 35th Birthday by a friend Joanne and it was a bear with a heart on it. The carebear cousins were my favorite. There was the lion and the fast rabbit. Those two were pretty awesome.
How would you survive a zombie apocalypse?
Oh man. Crossbow, straight up, and I'd want an army of ninja chimpanzees that crush people all around me.
Or I would just go to Sandra Bullock's house as I'm sure she has all that stuff because she's dope and kick-ass.
So, if you could have one super power, what would it be, and why?
I wish that I could make anyone at any point just happen to be naked. Not for the reasons that everyone thinks. Because people get really nice when they get naked. Like okay, I can't be an asshole. People aren't assholes when they get naked (for the most part). They are thinking about what they look like. Shitty answer, I tried to do something funny and it didn't work.
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
it's kind of boring. Cookie Dough. But then you can put cookie dough on just about anything and I would eat it.
What is your favorite thing to do when you're having a bad day?
Oh man. I love Pinterest. Swear to god. Just to not think about all the shit I have to do or what's going wrong, I just go and look at Pinterest. Or flipboard.
Hey Channing. Just one quick question: what toppings are on your ideal pizza?
I'm kinda boring. I just like peps. Pepperoni and cheese. i'm not a very adventurous eater. I like what i like and stick to it.
Channing thanks for taking time to hang out on reddit today. Everyone has a golden rule in life, besides having great abs, whats your golden rule?
this is probably going to be superlame but my golden rule is the golden rule. Do onto others as you would have them do onto you. And that's about it.
What was the last picture you took with your phone?
The last picture I took on my phone I was going into a meeting and there was a tv on the wall playing CNN and they were talking about Jurassic World shattering box office openings so I sent that to my buddy Pratt. I'm just really proud of him, happy for him. It also said something about southeast Texas weather pressure.
That's what I was really trying to tell Pratt, to make sure he was aware of a pressure front coming in.
Hey Channing, can you share some tips/tricks to stay in shape? (Diet/workouts)
Thank you!
Oh man. If you eat it and it makes you happy you probably shouldn't have it. And if you do it and it sucks you're probably doing the right thing. But you can't have one with out the other. A lot of people just work out and don't actually diet and they wonder why they aren't getting the results they want, and some people do the exact opposite and wonder the same thing. i really think you have to do both.
If you could play someone from history who would it be?
I would actually love to play Genghis Khan. But John Wayne did that. And it wasn't such a good idea I think.
Mr. Tatum, you're one of my top 10 favorite actors, and I happen to be a straight male. How do I get away with going to see Magic Mike XXL in the theaters, without my sexuality coming into question?
The funny this is about XXL it is such a movie that is made for women but if I pitched the movie like it's the movie road trip then guys would see it. Truly it's just about a bunch of guys being friends and hanging out who just get raunchy with some women at the end of the movie. Everyone will have fun with this movie.
Are you gonna be in Xmen: Apocalypse?
No ma'am, or sir. I definitely will not.
Tatum. Favorite movie title besides Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL that can double as a porno movie name? Example: "Gone in 60 Seconds". GO?
She's the Man. And you can go in a few different creative directions with that and you don't actually have to change the title at all.
Chan, you’ve talked about how you were diagnosed with ADD as a teenager and how you struggled in school because of that. If you had the opportunity to talk to someone in school dealing with similar circumstances, what would you tell them?
You know it's a really difficult thing to talk to as a broad answer type thing because everyone's on a spectrum of ADD and I kind of refuse to call it a disability. Some people really need drugs to help them, and others could maybe go on a different route. So it's really tough. Whatever you do don't look at it as a disability and hopefully whatever is helping you understand it will show you the great things about how you can use it to your benefit and not just feel like you have some curse upon you.
Hey,
Question: Why did you name your daughter Everly? It's a really nice name.
Also, Do you like get nervous before acting or do you just go ahead and do it ?
I wish I could say i love the Everly Bros but that's not why we named her Everly. The simple story is my wife was driving down the street one day and heard it in her head. So happy wife happy life. And yeah, I do get nervous to act, it kind of depends on what it is really. Doing SNL was by far the most terrifying thing that I've ever done, because there is a lot of reading involved, and I don't read that well out loud. I get terrified and freeze up. So it really depends on what kind. If i'm really super prepared and I'm off book, I'm not nervous. There's no wrong way to do it, just different ways to do it, because you never know what is going to work.
If you were a hot dog, and you were starving, would you eat yourself? Also, what is it like to work with Jonah Hill?
Hahahahaha what!
That's like a psychological profiling question. Yeah, why not. I like to eat. Let's just be real about it.
Jonah is one of those people who if you just sit back and just watch him you in no way shape or form can understand how he's doing what he's doing. He's the fastest most quickest wittiest person I've ever met. And I think people when they think of comedic actors they forget that they are people with a point of view and experiences and depth. And Jonah is one of the most sensitive and deep people i know. And that's why I think he can be a comedic actor and a deep actor asd well.
Would you play James Bond if you were offered the role?
Oh that's tough. It would be a very hard turndown. But i don't know. There is a very strong strong voice inside that tells me James Bond probably should always be a true United Kingdomer. I'm all down for changing things completely but the true nature of 007 is i feel just very innately english, it shouldn't be an american putting on an english accent.
Hi Chan, who is your favorite musician and what songs do you like?
Kendrick Lamar is dope. I like kinda everything. I listen to Ben Howard a lot, I mean i love anything pop and I really love old stuff. I'll put on Nina Simone Pandora and let it rock. I like everything but polka music. No offense to the polka community.
Hi Channing!! Who would win in a fight, you or Joe Manganiello?
It would be a messy fight. The light would probably bounce off of his pectoral muscles and blind me.
My fiancé says if I don't have a body like yours by next summer, she's leaving me. Any pointers for a sweet six pack?
If you have to have abs for her to stay with you, might be a sign for you to reevaluate how much she loves you. I don't know. Running dawg. Running and situps.
Hi Chan! Really cool that you're doing this! How has becoming a Dad changed your life?
It has really really made things wildly more in perspective. I have a very very large appetite for working and doing things and when you put it into the framework of am I going to be proud of telling my daughter I took time away from her to do this project is kinda my gauge right now. It's taken away a lot of the bullshit.
Kill one, Marry one, and Fuck one...
Ray Romano, Danny Devito, and Gilbert Gottfried?
Gilbert Gottfried, Danny Devito and Ray Romano?
I'd fuck Danny Devito, as I was saying earlier it could be fun. I'd marry Ray Romano, because I think he has a pretty solid perspective on marriage. I don't know who would be the male or female, you figure it out. And I like Gilbert Gottfried but I wouldn't mind killing him.
If I got to meet you can I grab your ass and touch your abs?
You'd have to ask my wife. I'm fine with you grabbing my ass. But you'd have to ask her and it depends on her mood. And you can touch my ab, I only have one right now. If you're into that kind of thing. I'm all for it. Click here to touch my ab. http://omaze.com/magic
What is your favorite part of playing Mike?
Mike is just at the end of the day...at the beginning of the first movie he's just this guy, all these strippers a lot of the guys I grew up with in South Florida were just hustlers, they all had 3 jobs going on and a bunch of dreams essentially that were probably never going to work out because they had no education on how to accomplish any of them, but that's what i love about Mike. He has all these things he wants to do, and has no education on how to do them, and probably no real understanding of what to make these dreams happen. he just keeps telling himself he's going to do it until the end of the first movie when he makes a hard decision to stop partying. the second film, you take the gloves off, your realize that you don't have to walk away from a life, you can still have fun and be responsible.