Interview with Channing Tatum

Yes, you read that correctly. This is an interview with the handsome young actor, Channing Tatum. Now I know you must be thinking how in the world was I able to interview Chan – that’s his nickname – in person? Right?

Simple! Just as I read that thought in your mind, I was able to read his mind using only one inexpensive item you probably have somewhere in your kitchen. What inexpensive item? you are asking. See, I read your mind again. The item … aluminum foil.

When fashioned into a simple skullcap of my design and placed securely on your head, you can read minds. Trust me. And you thought foil only worked to keep aliens from using extra-terrestrial mind-controlling rays on your brain.

me – Hello, Mr. Tatum. I can sense that you are wearing the aluminum foil headpiece I sent you. I’m delighted to meet you via my new innovative brain-wave equipment. Can you spare some time for a short interview?

Channing Tatum – Can I promote the new film I’ve produced about a male exotic dancer? And you can call me Chan – that’s my nickname.

me – Yes, I know – I read your mind. Thank you. I’d be honored to learn more about your new movie. Would you tell me a little about your background first?

Wetumpka is famous. True! A meteorite estimated to be over 1,000 feet wide hit the hills just east of what is now downtown Wetumpka about 80 million years ago. The impact of the meteorite blasted a crater five miles wide now known as the famous Wetumpka Crater.

Chan – No problem. My real name is Channing Matthew Tatum and I was born April 26, 1980 in the thriving metropolis of Cullman, Alabama, population about 14,000.

Later we moved to the big city (laughing) – Wetumpka, Alabama, population 6,500.

My mom, Kay, worked for the airlines and my dad, Glenn, worked in construction. When I was six, we moved to Mississippi and I grew up near a Mississippi River bayou. That was a great place for a kid.

“All the rattlesnakes and alligators a boy could possibly chase … and fishing every day … and Pop Warner football league, stuff like that.”

me – Did you have a favorite subject in school?

Chan – Actually, I had two favorites: sports and girls.

I’ve always been a natural athlete and enjoyed playing football, baseball, soccer and track in high school. And practicing kung fu. Bruce Lee is my hero.

me – And the girls?

Chan – “They were always my biggest distraction.” As a teen, I loved in Tampa, Florida where I earned the distinction of ‘Most Athletic at Tampa Catholic High School.’

me – Did you mean to say, ‘lived’ instead of ‘loved’?

Chan – Not exactly.

me – When you graduated from high school in 1998, were you offered a football scholarship to Glenville State College in West Virginia?

Chan – Yes, but I turned it down. I wanted to see more of the world so I returned to Florida and started working at odd jobs.

me – I sense that one of these odd jobs was working as a male stripper.

Chan – I prefer the term, exotic dancer. I worked at a local nightclub using the name, Chan Crawford. I enjoyed so many, er … interesting experiences I decided that one day I would make a semi-autobiographical movie about that fascinating profession. That’s what my new movie, “Magic Mike,” is all about.

After four months – the work was very demanding (snickers) – I moved to Miami where, believe it or not, a talent scout for a model agency discovered me as I was walking on the street. I kid you not. With my toned body (chuckling) and six foot one height, I was hired for photo shoots representing Nautica, Gap, Armani, and Abercrombie and Fitch, among others.

me – Didn’t I see you in some great television commercials, too?

Chan – I did them for Pepsi and also Mountain Dew.

I later realized that working as a model “was good training for an acting career.”

Did you ever watch the singer, Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” music video? I received $400 for that gig in 2000.

“My modeling career made my life, and my family's life, a lot easier … I've been able to explore life, and I've found that I love art, I love writing, I love acting … And I've been given the chance to go out and see the world … nor everyone gets that chance".

me – What was your first job as an actor?

Chan - In 2004 I had a role in the television series: ‘CSI: Miami.’ My athletic ability won me a role as a basketball player in the movie, ‘Coach Carter,’ opposite Samuel L. Jackson in 2005. And I had a leading role in the teen-themed film, ‘She’s the Man’ in 2006.

me – I remember, Chan, seeing you in the movie, ‘Step Up,’ in 2006 and I could not believe your dancing ability. Your moves were so exceptional I thought a stand-in – a professional dancer – was performing those amazing dances for you.

Chan – That was my break-out film. I played the part of a cocky hip-hop dancer who partners with a ballerina-in-training played by the actress, Jenna Dewan. And all those difficult, athletic moves were mine.

me – What was your first dramatic film role?

Chan – My performance in ‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’ opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in 2006 earned me an Independent Spirit Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’.

me – I will list all your other films at the end of this article. Now tell me about Jenna.

Chan – I met Jenna when we worked together in ‘Step Up’ in 2006. We began dating after the film was completed, and became engaged in early September 2008 in Maui, Hawaii. On July 11, 2009, we were married in Malibu, California.

me – What does Jenna think about your starring in the risqué role of a male stripper, uh, I mean, exotic dancer in ‘Magic Mike’?

Chan – Jenna is thrilled. She told ‘E! News’ that “... the movie is amazing … he's so good in it. I grew up as a dancer and Chan is an amazing dancer. But there were moments in that movie where I was like, I gotta give it to you – I could not have done that.”

Chan suffered a severe burn injury to his 'you know what' while filming ‘The Eagle’ in Scotland. A crew member poured boiling water down his wetsuit to keep him warm while shooting scenes in the ice-cold river. But he forgot to dilute the boiling water with cold water! Tatum said: "It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life … but I am now 100% recovered.” Praise God!

me – What is the movie about?

Chan – It takes place in the erotic world of male exotic dancers.

Magic Mike (me) tutors a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) in the fine arts of stripping, picking up women, partying, and making easy money.

me – With a plot like that, it’s guaranteed to be a blockbuster. Who are the other hunks, you’ll pardon the expression, in the film?

Chan – Matthew McConaughey plays the role of the strip club owner and Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello are two of my fellow strippers, er, … dancers. The director is Steven Soderbergh.

me – I know you and Jenna and three friends have formed a production company, 33andOut Productions. Do you plan to continue acting in movies?

Chan – "I know I'm not the best actor, but I hope my characters are getting better. I really don't want to be in any more movies that I don't produce.

I don't have any interest in not being on the ground floor of creating it … what I really want to do is direct."

me – Best of luck to you, Chan, and Jenna, and may you reach all your goals. Thank you for the interview.

You may remove your aluminum foil cap now, 'Magic Mike’.

© Copyright BJ Rakow, Ph.D. 2012. All rights reserved. Author, "Much of What You Know about Job Search Just Ain't So." Includes most-needed, valuable information for older workers.