Channing Tatum Opens Up About the Dark Side of Extreme Weight Loss for Roofman
I’m Riley Carter, and I’m here to spill the tea on Channing Tatum’s latest revelation. When it comes to getting into character, actors often go to great lengths – and Channing Tatum is no exception. The 45-year-old star recently shared his experience with extreme weight loss for his upcoming film Roofman, and it’s a wild ride.
Channing Tatum has always been known for his dedication to his craft, and his latest role is no exception. To play Jeffrey Manchester, a former United States Army Reserve officer, Tatum had to undergo a dramatic physical transformation. He aimed to lose weight to 185 pounds but ended up dropping to 172 pounds, which took a toll on his mental health. In an interview with Variety, Tatum revealed that the extreme weight loss left him feeling empty and sad. “It was a sort of emptiness and a sadness to it,” he shared. “I would just see myself, and I would seem hollow.”
Tatum’s experience with weight loss is not new; he’s had to fluctuate his weight for various roles in the past. For his Oscar-nominated role as musician Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, he put on 20 pounds to get into character. To play scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy had to lose a significant amount of weight, existing on a strict diet of just an almond a day.
Other celebrities have also shared their struggles with weight loss for movie roles. Joaquin Phoenix, who played Joker, opened up about his 52-pound weight loss, revealing that it affected his mental health. “Once you reach the target weight, everything changes,” he said. “Like so much of what’s difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds.”
Ben Affleck, who starred in the movie The Cut, shared his experience with losing 52 pounds for a boxing role. “I was exhausted mentally, physically,” he said. “I was hangry. I was a horrible person to be around. The paranoia, the intrusive thoughts.”
Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Nightcrawler, also talked about the physical and emotional toll of losing 30 pounds for the role. “I’d say my mother was worried,” he previously told E! News. “I would say she just wanted me to be careful. But she also knew and knows how seriously I take what I do and she respects that.”
Channing Tatum’s experience with Roofman has taught him the importance of taking care of his mental health during physical transformations. While the extreme weight loss was challenging, Tatum believes it improved his portrayal of Jeffrey Manchester. “I’ve lived six or seven different lives,” he told Variety. “Life gives you fuel. If you’ve really been heartbroken, and really been in pain, and felt real, true aloneness … I’ve experienced enough life that I have something to offer.”
As Tatum continues to navigate the world of Hollywood, it’s clear that he’s learned valuable lessons about the importance of mental health and self-care. His experience with Roofman serves as a reminder that getting into character often requires more than just physical changes – it also demands emotional and mental dedication.
Channing Tatum currently weighs 205 pounds, up from the 172 pounds he weighed for Roofman. He got into character for two back-to-back movie roles, weighing 235 pounds for his role in Josephine.
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, E! News, Associated Press, NPR’s All Things Considered, This Morning
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
