channing-tatum-mmxxl_post-opt

Channing Tatum (Dyslexic) and his dance moves are back on our screens as Magic Mike XXL hits our screens.

The Plot

Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life. “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa also ready to give up the game. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance. On the road to their final show, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

One for the girls

If you like buff torsos and ripped abs this is probably one for you. Channing seems comfortable on stage in front of a baying crowd of crazed extras (there were actually fist fights amongst the extras to get to the front of the stage,) but Channing takes this in his stride.

Before the fame and fortune

Channing’s not always been this confident. As a child he performed badly in school due to A.D.H.D. and dyslexia. Channing told TM Magazine “I have never considered myself a very smart person, for a lot of reasons,”

After school Channing had a shaky start to his career, he dropped out of a college football scholarship, found work as a construction worker and also worked as an exotic dancer. His fortunes changed when he was discovered on the streets of Miami and signed with a modeling agency. This scored him print ads for brands such as Nautica, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters and Abercrombie & Fitch. His first ‘film role’ came when he was cast as a dancer in the “She Bangs” music video by Ricky Martin.

canvas-opt

A natural talent

It may have been his moves in this video that impressed the producers of ‘Step it Up.’ As, without any formal training, Tatum was chosen for the role of Tyler In the 2006 dance movie. Producer Erik Feig says that Tatum moves “like water” while Step Up producer Adam Shankman claims Tatum is “one of the best natural street dancers” he’s ever seen.

Extracurricular activities

Away from the cameras, movie set, group dance sence and screaming fans, Channing’s pursuit are somewhat more solitary. Believe it or not, in his time off Channing is actually a talented sculpture. For Channing it seems his art satisfies the parts of him the movie world can’t reach. “It’s so internal. You get so focused on yourself as an actor,” he says. “You never feel totally confident that you got it right, and in the end the director will cut everything away to tell the story he wants to tell. With sculpting, nothing is cloudy or mystical. It’s just about this object, and if you’re trying to depict reality, and you do it well, then the outcome is the truth.”


If you like this post subscribe to this blog, join our newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date with new content. You might also like our podcasts.


The Codpast is a multimedia production from www.extraordinaire.tv