How does he do this?! It is just impossible to not like Channing Tatum. My heart is made of second-hand smoke and the last inch of bourbon in the bottle and even I can’t hold out—Tatum has totally won me over. He may be a walking slab of abs and Mr. Potato Head’s face, but goddamn if he isn’t the most likeable dude in Hollywood these days. Niceness cage match: Tatum vs. the Superior Marvel Chris: Pratt. That’s closer than you’d like to admit, right?
The latest in Tatum’s Magic Mike XXL charm offensive involves a stop by Howard Stern’s show. The first notable bit is about G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, which was Tatum’s mainstream launching pad. In a bout of pure honesty, Tatum admits he “hates that f*cking movie”, and he goes on to talk about how he signed a multi-picture deal with a studio because it was too much money to resist, only to find himself roped into a movie he did not want to be in. Normally I would be annoyed, but he’s just so good-natured and open about it I can’t drum up the ire. He’s self-aware without being precious. That’s a tough combination to resist.
The second clip worth mentioning is when he talks about his potential Ghostbusters reboot. The Lady Ghostbees are already filming, and when asked about the status of his project, Tatum says, “That thing’s gotten messy.” Stern touches on something I’ve wondered about myself—he asks if, because there’s already an all-female reboot happening, maybe people don’t really need the other version, too. From the beginning the Bro Busters seemed like a reaction to the diaper babies that couldn’t handle the idea of a female-driven Ghostbusters project, and it has crossed my mind that if that movie is successful next year, maybe Sony redirects on the Bro Busters. Either way, Tatum makes it sound like there’s just no clear direction for the project. Just listen to candid, charming Channing Tatum for yourself and try not to like him. I dare you.
