Channing Tatum is no stranger to going the extra mile for his film roles, but after shedding 70lbs for his latest movie, Roofman, which sees him play real-life criminal Jeffrey Manchester, who broke out of jail and lived inside the walls of a Toys ‘R’ Us, he experienced some side effects that left even the crew “concerned” for his well-being. The 45-year-old had recently bulked up for another role, so he had to lose some serious weight to play “wiry” Jeffrey, telling Variety that the convicted thief is “a really thin guy. Like, he’s not as big-boned as me.”
For his role in the thriller Josephine, Channing “got up to like 240,” and planned to stop his weight loss at 185lbs, but the weight kept coming off. “I had only planned to get down to 185. And then, just once, I was already going, and just the days of shooting, it kept coming off, and I got down to like 172,” he explained. It wasn’t until assistant director Mariela Comitini voiced her concern on set that Channing realized his weight loss had gone too far.
“She’s like, that’s it … get him a steak right now,” Channing quipped, adding: “I was like, ‘I think you’re right. This is weird.” The actor admitted that his weight loss contributed to a decline in his mental well-being. “It was a sort of emptiness and a sadness to it,” he shared. “I would just see myself, and I would seem hollow. And the movie, a lot for me, was a lot on loneliness, and a real meditation for that wanting to be full and trying to fill an empty vessel. That empty feeling sucks after a little while.”
Channing revealed in March that he will no longer be doing “fat roles” after gaining and losing so much weight recently. Sharing a photo of himself at his usual weight of 205lbs, one of him at 235lbs, and a final photo of him weighing 172lbs, he said: “We back up! lol. 1st photo is today 205. 2nd photo 235 for a movie called Josephine. Then went to 3rd photo which is 172 for a movie Roofman.
© Instagram“I’m so grateful for my genetics. Grateful for my chef/nutritionist/witch. Grateful for my trainer. I couldn’t make these big swings in my weight without you guys. But I won’t be doing any more fat roles haha. It’s too hard on the body and too hard to take off now. But damn, when I look at these pics, it’s just wild what the human body and will can do.”
© InstagramChanning will next be seen in Roofman, which releases on October 3. The official synopsis reads: “Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman.
“After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.”
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