14 DAY TRIAL // Channing Tatum has come a very long way from the insanely gorgeous, slightly goofy dancer / actor from “Step Up,” having already enjoyed success for his comedic and more dramatic roles, but also both as an actor and as a screenwriter.
It’s still not enough though.
A new report in Star Magazine claims that he has his sight set on an Oscar for Best Actor because that would be the ultimate recognition he needed to cement his reputation as a thespian. If he wins, he will never be cast aside as the “pretty boy” who looks good in wifebeaters or no shirt at all but isn’t really that good at acting.
As per the publication, Channing believes that this recognition will come once “Foxcatcher” is out in theaters later this year. He plays Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz in it and, as you can see from the trailer below, not only did he bring his A acting game to the part, but also had to undergo some physical transformations.
“He yearns to be taken seriously, so he really got into character,” an insider reveals for the tab, recounting an episode in which Tatum went fully Method, to the point where he freaked everybody out on set.
“One day, Channing improvised crashing his forehead through a mirror. He sliced his head pretty bad, but that didn’t stop him. Then he punched himself in the head — it was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen an actor do!” the tipster dishes.
That scene referenced here just so happens to be included in the trailer. You can’t tell whether it’s as “intense” as the insider makes it sound, but at least you know for a fact that the scene does exist in the movie.
“By the end of the film, he was badly beaten up. But once he finally came out of character, he said the pain will be worth it all if he wins an Oscar,” the tipster goes on to say.
“Foxcatcher” opened at the Cannes Film Festival in May and buzz around it is very good, with many media outlets describing it as a very gripping story infused with a maximum dose of the American spirit. However, that doesn’t say much about Channing’s Oscar chances.
Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo also star, with Carell’s performance in the trailer standing out. It’s not just that he gets more screentime that does it, but also the acting and the physical transformation through face prosthetics.
Right now, Channing is promoting a less Oscar-worthy film, the comedy “22 Jump Street,” in which he stars with his buddy Jonah Hill. Reviews are worse than for the original, so you should probably know that critics think it doesn’t meet expectations.
