Soldier Boy: Channing Tatum, 'Dear John'

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THE CAREER OF ACTOR Channing Tatum has moved along with military precision — through military roles. With his natural athleticism and domineering physique, Tatum successfully played a soldier returning home from the Iraq war in 2008's "Stop-Loss", starred in last summer's box-office hit "G.I. Joe," and now gives the uniform another go-round in "Dear John" as John Tyree, a soft-spoken Special Forces soldier visiting his dad in South Carolina on leave. His chance encounter with college co-ed Savannah reveals a true love relationship over the course of many letters.

The 29-year-old Mississippi/Florida-raised former model began his professional acting career six years ago in a TV episode of "CSI: Miami," quickly segueing to the big screen the following year in "Coach Carter," playing a basketball player.

Fast forward to 2006 when Tatum starred in the dance-themed movie "Step Up" where he met actress/dancer Jenna Dewan; the two immediately felt the chemistry. They married on a Malibu cliffside last summer.

In recent years, Tatum's found success outside military roles, too. He was the love interest of Amanda Bynes' character in "She's The Man"; a kid from the rough streets of Queens in "A Guide to Recognizing your Saints," a role for which he garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor"; and he played gangster Pretty Boy Floyd in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies."

Tatum spoke with Express about family dynamics, the lure of military roles and surfing on-screen.

» EXPRESS: Are you as adept as surfing as your character, John is?
» TATUM: I'm from Florida but I've just never been a surfer. It was amazing to go out for the first time with Mark, my coach. So now I can surf. I wouldn't paint my character as this amazing competition surfer because I'm definitely not that. But it's insanely hard to surf in South Carolina — the waves are really short and they close out, coming off in different directions. They're not like California with these long rolling waves, but I can get up and do my thing. I just can't look as cool as some people doing it.

» EXPRESS: What was it like when you first walked on set and going to work with such an acclaimed director as Lasse Halstrom?
» TATUM: He likes to look up Abba videos; he used to direct all the Abba videos. He will show you the whole thing on his iPod. He's one of the funniest guys I know and would kind of lean over and whisper something absolutely hilarious and then you want to share it. And he's also one of the smartest people I have ever met — he doesn't just sit there and try to impress people with his knowledge.

» EXPRESS: You have a beautiful hospital scene where you are emotionally talking to your father (played by Richard Jenkins). How did Lasse get to there?
» TATUM: He sort of gives you the freedom to just start wherever you want to start. Every once in awhile he'll come up and just talk about the scene with you. He just wants to see where you're going to take it. And I don't think that scene exists in the book. Just the way he explained the scene of not knowing how to tell your dad that you love him and having had it written down, was very powerful.

» EXPRESS: We learn so much about Savannah and John through their mutual interaction with John's father. What was the whole dynamic between you and Richard Jenkins?
» TATUM: There was no rehearsal process for us at all. He came in really late to the film because of scheduling problems so I had no idea how he was going to play the role. Then he comes in and kind of does what he does and it worked perfectly.

» EXPRESS: You played a military role in "G.I. Joe." So what is it about you that cries out "soldier"? And there's talk of a "G.I. Joe 2"?
» TATUM: Yes, I think so. They just hired writers so I hope we're going to do it. I'll be there. It was fun.

» EXPRESS: The same character as before?
» TATUM: Yes, for sure. Unless they change my character or kick me out of there. Because the history and the material that exists already is so very broad, I mean you can go anywhere. I would like to see him go a little darker. I love that it was a family movie last time, but I would like to see it just take a little more progression towards edgier stuff. And why am I given solider roles? I've played football and have a thick neck with a usually shaved head. That's what my joke always is — that I get cast for soldiers. I don't know why but I really respect them. My pop was in the military and before I got to grow up and ask him about it, he was gone or didn't have the ability to speak. I was always kind of interested thought and if I didn't get a football scholarship, I probably would have thought about going into the military.

» EXPRESS: Nicolas Sparks had great success with "The Notebook" and both that film and "Dear John" have their own catchphrases — "I'll bee seeing you" and your own "See you soon." Did you think of that when filming?
» TATUM: Well every time me and my wife watch "The Notebook," she looks up and makes me promise that I'm going to die with her in bed because you remember, they pass away in bed. But I don't really remember that phrase all that much. It was one of those things that we tried not to play too much, but we wanted a phrase to be our own calling card. We didn't run away from the sort of cheesiness of it and weren't scared of playing it.

» EXPRESS: Have you ever had a catchphrase with anyone?
» TATUM: I don't think so ... more like inside jokes and stuff like that.

Written by Express contributor Bonnie Siegler
Photo by Scott Garfield