Channing Tatum really, really hated filming G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra
The Magic Mike actor was told "You're doing this or we're gonna sue you"
He might be one of the most in-demand actors around, with Magic Mike XXL just around the corner, but Channing Tatum still has a few regrets from his career, notably cheesy action flick G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra.
Even though it made a pretty decent $302 million worldwide, the 35-year-old actor told US radio DJ Howard Stern that he only took the part due to contractual obligations with Paramount.
“Look, I’ll be honest. I fucking hate that movie. I hate that movie,” Tatum said. “I was pushed into doing it. [After] Coach Carter, they signed me for a three-picture deal … And as a young [actor], you’re like ‘Oh my god, that sounds amazing, I’m doing that!”
But while he was a fan of the fictional super-soldier as a kid, he wasn’t crazy about doing the film when the studio called him up.
“The script wasn’t any good,” Tatum admitted. “And I didn’t want to do something that I … was a fan of since I was a kid and watched every morning growing up – and didn’t want to do something that was, one, bad and, two, I just didn’t know if I wanted to be G.I Joe.”
Tatum asked if he could play Snake Eyes, but “They’re like ‘No, you’re not playing Snake Eyes, you’re playing G.I Joe.”
Due to his three-picture deal, though, he had to play the part whether he liked it or not, explaining to Stern that there was never a scenario presented where he could opt out of the film.
“No option: ‘You’re doing this or we’re gonna sue you.”
Ever the optimist, though, Tatum reflected that it hadn’t harmed his career too much in the long run.
“I could have been given … Scream 5, or something,” he mused. Burn.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies