Channing Tatum’s Audition That Changed His Trajectory

Channing Tatum’s career has always been a bit of a puzzle. While many punters might peg him as your standard action bloke thanks to roles in films like White House Down, he’s actually carved out a name for himself as a top-notch comic actor. He’s worked with some of the best in the business, from Quentin Tarantino to Steven Soderbergh, so he’s clearly doing something right.

This year, Tatum took the lead in Roofman, a film that slipped under the radar at the box office but has since picked up steam through word of mouth. The story follows a struggling dad and ex-serviceman who resorts to robbing shops by dropping in through the roof, only to end up stuck inside a Toys ’R’ Us for half a year. Tatum’s performance as the main character drew plenty of praise, cementing his status as a reliable leading man. This came hot on the heels of his standout turn in Zoë Kravitz’s Blink Twice, a psychological thriller about a tech billionaire with a sinister agenda on his private island.

From Dance Floors to Dramatic Turns

Tatum’s journey from the early days in Coach Carter and Step Up to the likes of Magic Mike has been anything but predictable. He first showed his range in the 2012 comedy 21 Jump Street with Jonah Hill, and its sequel two years later, where his knack for humour really shone through. He also picked up critical acclaim for his more serious work in Foxcatcher alongside Steve Carell.

But it was an audition for a very different kind of film that ended up being a turning point for him. Tatum once went for a part in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men—the role that eventually went to Josh Brolin. He recalled,

I went on the life-changing audition, which was for the Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men. It was for the character Josh Brolin played. I knew I wasn’t right; I was probably 10 years too young. But I didn’t care: they were open to meeting me, and I wanted to meet them.

Letting Go and Moving Forward

For Tatum, just being in the room with the Coens was enough, even though he knew he was a long shot for the part. The film itself went on to be a massive hit, with Brolin nabbing a Screen Actors’ Guild award for his role as Llewelyn Moss. Tatum said,

I knew I wasn’t getting it, no matter how much I went in there and nailed this and wanted it, so I let it go. And I walked in and was like, ‘Jesus, it’s good to meet you all. This is insane, man, I love you guys.’…I knew I couldn’t do it right, so I was just going to go in and let them direct me.

That experience, even though it didn’t land him the part, helped him realise where his strengths lay and what sort of roles suited him best. It was a moment that nudged him towards the kind of work that’s since defined his career.

On to Bigger and Better Things

Since then, the Alabama-born actor has racked up more than 70 film credits and even stepped behind the camera to direct his first feature in 2022. He’s got a busy slate ahead, with eight projects in the pipeline. Among them is a spot in the much-hyped next Avengers instalment, Doomsday, set for release late next year, and Calamity Hustle, where he teams up with Ryan Reynolds as a pair of brothers who are both detectives and crooks.

Missing out on that Coen brothers’ role might have seemed like a setback at the time, but for Tatum, it was just the push he needed to find his own lane in the industry.