Channing Tatum opened up about the unusual lengths he went to while preparing for his latest role in Roofman as convicted robber Jeffrey Manchester.
That even included pausing a conversation with his 12-year-old daughter Everly’s teacher to answer a call from a super-maximum security prison.
To get inside the mind of the real-life criminal, notorious for robbing 45 McDonald’s restaurants and famously hiding out inside a Toys ‘R’ Us, the actor, 45, and director Derek Cianfrance spent hours on the phone with Manchester, who is serving a 40-year sentence at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.
‘It’s a wild thing when you can’t call somebody and they call you from a supermax prison and you have 15 minutes with them,’ Tatum told People during the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. ‘You basically have to pick up, almost wherever you are.’
He continued: ‘I was talking to my daughter’s teacher one time, and literally Jeffrey Manchester is calling and you’re just like, “One second, prison’s calling.” And then you just go have this 15-minute conversation and then that’s it. He’s gone and you don’t know when he’s going to call back or what time.’
Roofman chronicles Manchester’s six-month stretch hiding inside a toy store, during which he fell in love with a divorced mom, played on-screen by Kirsten Dunst.
Channing Tatum opened up about the unusual lengths he went to while preparing for his latest role in Roofman as convicted robber Jeffrey Manchester; seen over the weekend
According to the official synopsis, the double life unravels into a tense cat-and-mouse story as his past finally catches up.
Tatum admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect when he first read Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn’s script, but his phone conversations with Manchester helped him find his way into the role.
‘He’s a wildly charismatic and warm human. He takes care of you on this phone call,’ he said.
This prompted Dunst, 43, to teasingly say: ‘I wonder why you were cast.’
Although Tatum has yet to meet Manchester in person, he hopes that might one day change.
‘I never got to meet [Manchester]. So hopefully when he gets out, or at some point I’m allowed to actually go see him,’ he shared.
For director Cianfrance, 51, the process was even more extensive.
He revealed that he spoke with Manchester ‘about four times a week for four years’ to piece together the true story.
That even included pausing a conversation with his 12-year-old daughter Everly’s teacher to answer a call from a super-maximum security prison
Tatum, who shares his little girl with ex-wife Jenna Dewan, also drew on his own experiences as a father while filming the movie’s most emotional scenes
‘The more I heard his story, the more I just couldn’t believe it was actually real. I talked to the police that arrested him, and sure enough, they said, “Yeah, that’s what happened.”‘
Tatum, who shares his little girl with ex-wife Jenna Dewan, also drew on his own experiences as a father while filming the movie’s most emotional scenes.
He said imagining Manchester watching his child from afar struck a deep chord.
‘I wasn’t acting,’ he recalled. ‘It’s the easiest thing in the world. I remember the first time that my daughter [rode a bike] and I was pushing her on the bike, and I can’t imagine watching… I mean, I did imagine watching my daughter and not being able to go and have that moment with her. It just crushed me. Absolutely crushed me.’
While speaking to Variety earlier this week, the father-of-one admitted his 50/50 custody arrangement can be challenging.
‘It’s really tough not to have your daughter half the time. I wish I could just have her all the time,’ he explained.
