My Name is Channing: Channing Tatum’s Career in Film so Far

As Foxcatcher hits screens across the UK, one of the key talking points is Steve Carell. The actor, famed primarily for his comedic turns in films such as Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Bruce Almighty, has tried his hand at drama – and triumphed. However what seems to have gone under the radar, is the performance by a certain Channing Tatum – who yet again displays a range that few would have expected when his career began.

Tatum first gained recognition for his roles in She’s the Man and Step Up; two somewhat mawkish, Hollywood romantic flicks that just pass the time. What followed were nauseating rom-coms Dear John, The Vow and 10 Years, and then action thrillers G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and The Son of No One.

Can see a pattern forming? Here’s an actor making mediocre movies, simply playing romantic leads because of his charm and good looks; or starring in generic action movies, because he’s got that particular image. It’s very easy in Hollywood to be typecast, to be pigeonholed as a certain type of actor – and then what transpires is a struggle to break free. But Tatum managed it – and following on from a role in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, his career lifted off.

21 Jump Street kickstarted it all – as suddenly we saw just how much promise this actor has in comedic roles, matching Jonah Hill at every turn in the cult comedy. He then teamed up with Soderbergh again in Magic Mike, a surprise hit that wowed audiences and critics alike – so much so that there is a sequel on the way. Soderbergh evidently saw something in Channing Tatum, again giving him a role allowing him to show off his dramatic skills in Side Effects, starring alongside Jude Law and Rooney Mara.

In the blink of an eye Tatum went from being an actor who would generally make movies you would wish to avoid, to somebody you’d fervently anticipate the next project of. 22 Jump Street was a riotous success, and in Foxcatcher he turns in his darkest performance yet, in a raw, unsettling piece of cinema that has even created an Oscar buzz around him.

But if not this year, it’s safe to say his time will come. Some of the best directors in the world want to work with him: he’s starring in Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, and in The Coen Brother’s Hail, Caesar!. 23 Jump Street is confirmed, not to mention the exciting news of Tatum’s first deviation into the Marvel universe – not only set to star in X-Men: Apocalypse, but earning a spin-off for his character Gambit.

You only need to look as far as Matthew McConaughey to see how actors can turn their image around and be taken seriously – and there is nothing that can stop Channing Tatum following a similar path. Sadly his name doesn’t lend itself quite so well to this remarkable reinvention like the McConaissance, however. Maybe the Tatumaissance? The rejuvi-Tatum? No? Okay, we’re working on it.