Back in 2012,Steven Soderberghmanaged to create an original franchise after 2012’sMagic Mikethat became a cultural phenomenon. Its success was led by the rise ofChanning Tatum, whoSoderbergh crafted into one of the rare actors today who can seemingly sell a film based on his name alone.Magic Mike’s Last Danceconcluded one of the most unlikely critical and financial success stories of the last decade, as the notion of a dark film about male sexuality becoming the first in a series of surprise box office hits took everyone by surprise. It’s no secret that mid-budget movies for adults are struggling at the box officein comparison to superhero movies, blockbuster sequels, animated family adventures, and horror films, and often these projects are sent directly to streaming services in fear that there won’t be an audience for them.
Prior to working with Soderbergh, Channing Tatum’s attempts to break into elite movie star status hadn’t exactly been successful. His disastrous dramatic turns came in melodramas likeDear John, Fighting,andThe Eagle, and his attempt to join a major franchise was in the critically-reviledG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,whichended a potentially interesting franchisebefore it got the chance to begin. These parts seemingly emphasized that Tatum was just another generic, handsome actor who would disappear within a few years, but Soderbergh saw that he had much more potential than anyone realized. By casting Tatum in roles that challenged him to do more than just coast on his inherent charisma, Soderbergh helped prove that he was capable of transforming his image and taking on more ambitious roles.
Magic Mike
Soderbergh slowly brought Tatum into his inner circle of actors and began experimenting with his skills.In the wake of his Soderbergh collaborations,Tatum has become an accomplished actorwho doesn’t need a superhero franchise to give him any legitimacy, even if hisDeadpool & Wolverinecameo earned a lot of healthy praise from those who had been following the development of the botchedGambitspin-off movie. He now has worked with acclaimed filmmakers likeQuentin Tarantino, Bennett Miller,and theCoen Brothers, and launched a successful comedy franchise with21 Jump Street. Tatum haseven stepped into the director’s chair forDog, another mid-budget adult drama that nonetheless was a mainstream success, a particularly impressive accomplishment in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Somehow, the guy that everyone was willing to write off has become a force to be reckoned with, and it all happened thanks to Soderbergh.
Steven Soderbergh Tested Channing Tatum’s Limits
Taking a struggling actor and revamping his career is something that Soderbergh is known for. In the late 1990s,George Clooneyfound himself in a similar place to the one Tatum was at in the beginning of the 2010s. Having made the transition to films afterER,Clooney was left embarrassed by the failure ofBatman & Robin. However, Soderbergh showed Clooney’s humor, heart, dramatic chops, and individuality with roles inOcean’s Eleven, Out of Sight, Solaris, andThe Good German. He went on to become one of the most acclaimed actors of the 21st century and like Tatum, an accomplished filmmaker in his own right. It’s not even the least bit ironic that many of the initial concerns that Clooney faced about “peaking too soon” are the same that Tatum faced in the immediate lead-up to his first collaboration with Soderbergh.
Perhaps Soderbergh saw someone reminiscent of a young Clooney in Channing Tatum when he cast him in 2011’sHaywire. It was already a film packed with stars likeMichael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas,andBill Paxton, allowing Tatum to learn from some of the finest actors of his generation.Although Tatum was frequently confined to leading roles as likable characters, Soderbergh proved that he could be villainous too. His performance as the black ops agent Aaron is stark and terrifying, emphasizing Tatum’s aggressive physicality. It’s something he would remember when he delivered his acclaimed performance inFoxcatcher,a film in which he deserved an Academy Award nominationfor playing a real-life wrestler who copes with the death of his older brother (Mark Ruffalo). Nothing in Tatum’s filmography prior toFoxcatchersuggested that he would have been prepared to give that sort of performance; it’s unlikely that he would have been anyone’s first choice to star in a disturbing character drama had he not proven himself capable of working underneath the steady hand of an artist of Soderbergh’s caliber.
Steven Soderbergh Uses Channing Tatum’s Starpower to Subvert Audience Expectations
Although audiences might have been expecting something more straightforward fromMagic Mike, Soderbergh threw a wrench in the formula to createa deeply profound throwback to 1970s character dramas that still sustained itself as populist entertainment.Magic Mikeis a nuanced examination of the ramifications of the 2008 financial crisis, and Tatum’s performance is filled with vulnerability.However, the film still works as a crowd pleaser through its emphasis on non-toxic male camaraderie and acceptance; it’s ultimately a film about a group of lonely men who find themselves supporting one another through performance, and have no shame in fulfilling a role that seeks to illicit pleasure from women. It was the ideal mainstream role for Tatum; he got to show his sensitivity and charisma within a central performance that anchored the film’s more erratic characters. WhileMatthew McConaugheyandMatt Bomerwere given roles that were perhaps a little bit “flashier,” Tatum was able to handle the dramatic heft of the film’s weighty themes on his shoulders.
Steven Soderbergh seemingly knew that Tatum was turning into a star by the time heput together his late-career masterpieceSide Effects, a film initially conceived as his final feature film before he decided to return to the industry just a few short years later. Tatum’s star power is weaponized; he’s expected to be a major character, and so his death at the hands ofRooney Marawithin the first act is a twist reminiscent ofJanet LeighinPsycho. Since the audience already had an attachment to Tatum, the twist was even more shocking. Soderbergh was betting that Tatum’s charisma would make the film more tragic, as he goaded the audience with an emotional hurdle early on.Side Effectsis a genuinely shocking deconstruction of the flaws within the American healthcare system that succeeds as both an erotic thriller and a conspiracy-fronted mystery; Tatum’s performance lured audiences in with a false sense of security, revealing the film itself to be far less straightforward than what they may have anticipated.
With ‘Logan Lucky,’ Channing Tatum’s Acting Evolved Even More
By the timeSoderbergh madeLogan Lucky,Tatum had already found success in the art house scene, even if the action-centric roles he took on inJupiter AscendingandWhite House Downwere ultimately flops that didn’t win him any points from his early doubters. Soderbergh recognized that while Tatum had proven he was more than initial skeptics may have expected him to be, he needed a role that signified his maturity. Movie stars have a finite lifespan, and actors tend to be circled out when they start aging out of the roles that tend to be given to younger stars.Logan Luckycast Tatum as an empathetic father who is told that he is out of touch. The notion of making a film about working-class people seems like a cliché, butLogan Luckyrepresented a genuine attempt by Soderbergh to reach out to the type of audiences that don’t feel represented by a majority of the films Hollywood releases each year.
In what’s easily his most moving performance,Tatum is cast as the voice of reason within a bonkers crime caper. AlthoughDaniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Sebastian Stan,andFrancis McDormandare all giving zany performances on the side, Tatum’s role as a blue-collar worker trying to support his young daughter Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie) is genuinely touching. Tatum perfects a Southern accent without becoming a caricature, but he’s also given room to be more subtle. One of the most powerful sequences in the film is a critical ending moment where Sadie sings her father’s favorite song, “Country Road.” Tatum’s silent, emotional reaction is nearly tear-jerking because he can convey a sincere sense of pride without having to say a single word. Soderbergh isn’t necessarily known for being a particularly sentimental filmmaker known for making profound projects about the human condition, butLogan Luckyisan earnest examination of what it is like to be a fatherwho succeeds thanks to the intimacy Tatum brings to his performance.
The 10 Most Rewatchable Channing Tatum Movies, Ranked
We can watch him in Magic Mike on repeat 24/7!
Steven Soderbergh didn’t return to directMagic Mike XXL, but he served as both editor and cinematographer for the delightful sequel that once again emphasizes Tatum’s ability to draw a crowd. It feels as if their relationship has come full circle withMagic Mike’s Last Dance, asboth Tatum and Soderbergh were able tocraft a beautiful ending to theMagic Mikefranchisethat wasn’t afraid to get unabashedly soapy. With Soderbergh continuing to innovate with streaming and Tatum potentially returning to the director’s chair, it seems like the future is bright for both of them.
Tatum has grown even more active in pursuing interesting projects in the wake of his work with Soderbergh; in the last year,he starred in the old-fashioned romantic comedyFly Me To The Moonand showed his sinister dark side inZoe Kravitz’s terrific directorial debutBlink Twice. Tatum’s career has skyrocketed because he seems interested in taking roles that will be remembered well in the years to come.
