I recently caught up with Channing Tatum while he was in London to talk
about his new film, the romantic tear jerker Dear John. Channing Tatum
plays John, who while on summer vacation from the military meets Savannah
(Amanda Seyfried). But their romance is threatened as the holiday ends,
Savannah has to go back to college and John must return to life in the
army and all that his duty entails. They decide to exchange letters to
each other after he is deployed to the war. Brought together by love, but
will fate tear them apart? I haven’t read the book so the film wrong
stepped me most of the way. Did you know the source material before read
the script?Channing Tatum: I actually read the book first, even before it
came out, I got approached for the film and I fell in love with my
character John, I had known Nicholas Sparks through The Notebook and A
Walk To Remember, I think I cried a lot with The Notebook (laughs). I
knew what it did and I knew there was already a starving audience for it,
those unbelievable loves, this is more relevant and contemporary than The
Notebook for me which drew me more to it.What was it like working with
Richard Jenkins?Channing Tatum: He’s so overrated (laughs), nah that guy
can do anything, he can give you whatever you ask from a character, he is
one of the strongest and smartest person I’ve ever met. He helped me
through the entire film, I can’t even describe how it is to be in a scene
with a guy that makes you better, he’s so smart he manipulates you to be
better, it’s ridiculous.Do you find it more fun to do these more meaty
roles than the action films?Channing Tatum: I find it more exciting. The
more action type films they’re fun to do, especially with the physical
element, but the REALLY fun stuff like running into a falling building
they won’t let you do that, there’s too much money riding on you not
getting hurt, but yes there is something exhilarating about it but it’s
so different. With this sort of film it’s so much more honest, which
excites me more.channing tatum dear john Channing Tatum Interview For
Dear JohnYou’ve been up in Scotland filming The Eagle of the Ninth can
you tell us a bit about that?Channing Tatum: I’ve loved Kevin Macdonald’s
movies for a while now, it was an amazing experience because he wanted to
do something really different, he wanted to make all the Romans American,
venturing off from Romans being this English speaking very villainous
type thing. It was by far the hardest things I’ve ever done, to wake up
every single day and know your gonna be freezing cold and wet, 10 times a
day, every single day and you know there’s no getting away from it for
about 4 months, it was exhausting but very gratifying, it’s gonna be some
of the most beautiful scenery you’re ever gonna see. I think I had minor
hyperthermia, Jamie Bell almost collapsed. It’s a little more commercial
that what he’s made before, it should be great.Without giving too much
away your character go’s through a lot and at times gets the short end of
the stick.Channing Tatum: Yeah, I don’t think when people watch movies
they always want a happy story or a happing ending, because life isn’t
always like that, hindsight is really 20/20, in your real life I
guarantee you will look back and you’ve had to make decisions, sometimes
you get pinned into a corner.I heard they wouldn’t let you use your own
handwriting in the film for the film.Channing Tatum: (laughs) Yes, they
would not let me hand write anything because you can’t read what I write,
it’s like chicken scratches, worse than a 3 year old’s handwriting.