Lights, camera, and a lot of regrets. Channing Tatum, Hollywood heartthrob, has revealed that he didn’t enjoy his stint as G.I. Joe. In fact, if he had his way, he would have turned down the iconic role at the start.
Surprisingly, Tatum’s misgivings about the script were the least of his concerns. In a revealing interview, the actor shared that studio execs twisted his arm into taking on the role in the popular franchise.
Channing Tatum tried to reject ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ multiple times
Tatum has been very vocal about his disdain for starring in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra back in 2009. But his recent revelations prove that he did everything in his power to walk away from the offer.
According to Variety, Tatum revealed that he tried to say no to The Rise of Cobra seven times before reluctantly accepting the part. Despite his best efforts to avoid the film, the film’s producers ultimately forced him to star in the movie.
“The first one I passed on seven times, but they had an option on me, and I had to do the movie,” Tatum shared.
Tatum added that he had similar feelings toward the sequel. Although he agreed to reprise the role a second time, he asked producers to kill off his character at the very beginning of the movie.
Although Tatum clearly has regrets about being a part of the franchise, he would gladly turn down the role if given a second chance.
‘G.I. Joe’ star admits he was pushed into playing the lead role
This is not the first time Tatum has openly shared his thoughts about the G.I. Joe movies. During an interview with Howard Stern, the actor blasted the franchise for having a bad script.
In a candid conversation with Stern, Tatum didn’t mince his words when expressing his feelings about the movie. The actor made it clear that he abhorred the film, using some strong language to drive home the point.
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“Look, I’ll be honest. I f***ing hate that movie. I hate that movie,” he stated. “I was pushed into doing that movie.”
He also went into more detail about how the studio “pushed” him into accepting the role. Tatum explained that he had signed a three-movie deal with the studio. He didn’t have the option to choose the three films and was basically forced to accept the lead in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Tatum may have had different feelings toward the part if the script had been better written.
Channing Tatum reveals who he originally wanted to play in ‘The Rise of Cobra’
Tatum admitted that he was thrilled when the studio first asked him to play a role in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Although he was making a name for himself in Hollywood, Tatum didn’t want to play the lead part in the franchise.
Instead, the actor asked if he could play Snake Eyes. After they rejected his request, Tatum read the script and wasn’t happy about it. In fact, the script was one of the main reasons he tried to walk away from the project.
The G.I. Joe franchise has enjoyed a mixed bag of box office success. While the first film, The Rise of Cobra, received negative reviews from critics, it managed to earn over $300 million globally.
The sequel, which starred Dwayne Johnson, fared better, grossing $375 million worldwide. However, the franchise’s most recent outing, Snake Eyes, was a commercial failure, earning just $40 million globally.
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