Channing Tatum Addresses Crew’s Concerns Over His Dramatic Weight Loss for New Film

Channing Tatum has responded to reports that crew members were worried about his weight loss while filming his new movie Roofman.

The actor said the whole thing had been exaggerated and that no one on set was actually concerned about his health.

In the film, Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a real-life criminal who became known for breaking into McDonald’s restaurants through the roofs. Manchester, a former soldier, was caught in 1999 and given a long prison sentence but later escaped by hiding under a truck. After escaping, he secretly lived inside a toy store for months, surviving on snacks and baby food.

How far would you go to change who you are? #Roofman is coming only to theatres October 10. pic.twitter.com/xmpnsIuIcK

To prepare for the role, Tatum lost around five stone to look more like the thin and wiry character. He told LADbible that the idea of the crew being “worried” was taken too far. “It was Mary Ellis, our first AD, she’s a mamma,” he said. “And she was just like, ‘You did it, you don’t need to lose any more weight.’”

The actor said he didn’t use extreme diets to get into shape and felt healthier than ever. “And by the way, I was probably healthier than I’d been in a long time,” he said. “But the only big swing of the whole thing was, I did a movie right before that where I was like a dad bod, that I was 240 [lbs]. I put on weight really fast and really easy. And I do take it off pretty easy, it’s a good thing and a bad thing.”

Director Derek Cianfrance had previously mentioned that the assistant director offered to get Tatum “a steak” because she thought he had lost enough weight. But Tatum said this was just a caring gesture, not an actual concern. “Ultimately, there was no real concern. It was just like, ‘All right, cool, we’re good. You’re exactly where you need to be,’” he added.

Tatum’s transformation is on full display in the film, which even includes a nude scene showing his lean physique. He explained that losing weight came down to staying consistent. “Once you start a certain thing and as long as you don’t deviate from the plan, it’ll happen,” he said.

Director Cianfrance said he wrote the Roofman script specifically for Tatum, calling him “born to play” the part. To prepare, Tatum spoke directly with the real Jeffrey Manchester for over two months.

“I talked to this guy [Manchester] for almost two and a half months every day,” he said. “You talk about a lot of things, I wanted it to be a two-way street. I was like, ‘I don’t want to just grill you about your life.’ And he asked me so many things about my life.”

Tatum described Manchester as “an eternal optimist” and said many people who had crossed paths with him saw him as “the most apologetic person.” Manchester is still in prison and is expected to be released in 2036.

The film has already stirred mixed reactions, some people think it humanizes Manchester too much, while others believe it gives an honest look at a complex person.

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