Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, stars of the recent film Roofman, have admitted to telling small lies about their skills to secure past acting jobs, revealing personal stories of these Channing Tatum acting lies during promotional interviews for the movie.
The pair’s confessions came while discussing Roofman, based on the real-life crimes of Jeffrey Manchester, a former Army veteran and father who became known for robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes through their roofs. Manchester famously managed to evade capture by hiding inside a Toys ‘R‘ Us store for six months, keeping his identity secret even from his girlfriend, Leigh Wainscott, by using fake names like John Zorn. The film, set for digital release by Paramount Pictures, explores these elaborate deceptions, drawing parallels to the actors’ own lighthearted fibs early in their careers.
Early Career ‘White Lies’ That Landed the Job
During a conversation with Brian Particelli from TooFab, Channing Tatum opened up about overstating his soccer skills to land a part in the 2006 romantic comedy She’s the Man, which costarred Amanda Bynes. He stated,
“For She’s the Man, I definitely told them I played soccer,”
– Channing Tatum, Actor. He went on to clarify the limited extent of his experience, sharing,
“Technically, I did play my senior year, but I only played to basically stay in shape for football and I don’t know how to play soccer at all, really,”
and added,
“And ultimately, my job was just to grab their best player and kick them and get kicked out of the game. So I had no real skills, but I was pretty athletic, so I faked it as much as I needed to.”
– Channing Tatum, Actor.
Kirsten Dunst also recalled similar experiences from her early acting days in New York. She described how she landed commercial work by exaggerating her abilities, particularly when asked about an ice skating role, saying,
“I remember I booked some Halls commercial, something I had to ice skate, and I did not know how to ice skate. I fudged it, I guess.”
– Kirsten Dunst, Actress.
Embracing the Art of Pretending, On and Off Screen
The stories shared by Tatum and Dunst echo the themes in Roofman, where creating new identities and living behind fabrications are central. This willingness to stretch the truth, whether for a film role or survival, connects actors and the real-life subjects they portray, including Manchester, Leigh Wainscott, and others highlighted in the movie.
Roofman is now available to watch digitally, with the film’s exploration of deception and identity coming to 4K and Blu-ray on January 20. Fans can observe how art and life sometimes blur through both the dramatic story and the candid admissions from the cast.
