CHANNING TATUM has built an acting career out of transforming his body. His biggest roles, like Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street and Step Up, have come courtesy of his physique, but his latest transformation has pushed him like no other.
In a new interview, Tatum revealed he lost 32 kilograms while filming Roofman, a new biopic based on the life of convicted robber Jeffrey Manchester.
According to Variety, when Derek Cianfrance, the director of Roofman, checked in with Tatum two months before shooting began, he was surprised by his leading man’s size. Tatum had just wrapped his most recent film, the still-to-be-released Josephine, for which he gained weight. “I blew up to like 240 [pounds],” Tatum said. “I was a big boy.”
Cianfrance and Tatum agreed that it would be best if the actor slimmed down to play the wiry Manchester. “Jeff is a really thin guy,” Tatum explained. “He’s not as big-boned as me. I think he’s tall, but he’s just really wiry.” The results were more intense than expected.
“I only planned to get down to 185 pounds [83kg],” Tatum said. “Once I was already going [with] the days of shooting, it kept coming off. I got down to 172 [78kg].”
How did Channing Tatum lose 32kg?
Channing Tatum has been packing on muscle and cutting weight since his early twenties. But as he admits, preparing for physical roles was easier when he was younger. “I used to take 30 pounds off in three weeks,” he said. “I was just starving. The model diet.”
Now, Tatum tries to lose and gain weight healthier. We know that he trains hard, but he also credits his diet for helping him bulk up and slim down. “I have a great nutritionist, and she’s helped me eat vegetables,” Tatum said. “I don’t like vegetables. It’s a texture thing.”
But while he tried to cut healthier, Tatum said his transformation had “sort of an emptiness and a sadness to it.”
“I would see myself and just seem hollow,” he said. “The movie to me was a lot of loneliness. A real meditation for that wanting to be full… That empty feeling sucks after a while.”
“I won’t be doing anymore fat roles,” Tatum said on Instagram in March. “It’s too hard on the body and too hard to take off now.”
Is losing weight too quickly dangerous?
Tatum has proven what the human body is capable of with his drastic transformations, but the dramatic nature of them doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Rapid weight loss can strip away muscle, disrupt hormones and negatively influence long-term health. A 2024 review found that the yo-yo dieting method Tatum uses causes muscle loss and fat gain over time, while also raising the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
How can you lose weight safely?
To lose weight safely, most experts recommend losing around 0.5kg per week, and no more than 1kg per week. We don’t now exactly how much time there was between the start and finish of Tatum’s transformation, but given his busy filming schedule we doubt it was the minimum of 32 weeks needed to make his 32kg weight loss healthy.
