Some celebrities keep the serious actor title long into their career, while others are almost instantly branded a movie star. The difference usually boils down to charisma, but some performers comfortably occupy both stereotypes and continue to succeed either way.
Channing Tatum's first on-screen appearance came 22 years ago, as a dancer in the music video for the hit Ricky Martin track "She Bangs." 6 years later, he played opposite Amanda Bynes in the classic teen Shakespeare adaptation She's the Man. He's remained a Hollywood fixture ever since, from comedy to action, to drama. Tatum made his directorial debut this year with Dog, but he's still better known for his work in front of the camera, as in the movies below.
Jenko (21 Jump Street)
Channing Tatum stars in one of the finest buddy cop films of a generation, establishing some genuine comedy chops along the way. Paired with Jonah Hill, Tatum portrays the athletically gifted but slow-witted half of this undercover odd-couple. The pair must infiltrate their own former high school to root out a dangerous drug ring. The more often talked about duo of the film is behind the camera, however, as this film marks the live-action directorial debut of Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The writing is solid, the self-aware parody is note-perfect, and the jokes land with near-perfect comic timing. For his part, Tatum is operating on multiple levels of in-text deception, playing the role with a hilarious sincerity that makes him extremely likable. Jenko is the kind of character that could come across as intolerable under certain circumstances, but Tatum's charisma carries the performance easily. Tatum returned to the role in the 2014 sequel and knocked it out of the park again.
Mike (Magic Mike)
One of the most important roles of Channing Tatum's career came loosely from his own experiences. The actor worked as a stripper in Tampa Bay, Florida when he was just 18 years old, and the film preserves the authentic experience from his perspective. Tatum originally envisioned Nicolas Winding Refn directing the project, but once that fell through, he brought it to legendary independent pioneer Steven Soderbergh.
Though his young life made up much of the source material, Tatum portrays veteran of the industry Mike Lane, who seeks to start a business of his own after years of dancing at a club owned by the sinister Dallas. This is a personal and moving performance from Tatum, who leads young stripper Adam through the lifestyle with all of its peaks and valleys. Tatum reprises the role in 2015's Magic Mike XXL and is set to appear at the end of the trilogy.
Jimmy Logan (Logan Lucky)
The film that brought Steven Soderbergh out of retirement is a stellar socially conscious heist movie with Tatum in a starring role. With the actor and director together again, they began work on a very different project. Jimmy Logan is the film's driving heart, a down-on-his-luck former athlete who is struggling to find a purpose after a single injury seems to bring his life down around him. With no future prospects, Jimmy teams up with his brother Clyde to rob Charlotte Motor Speedway. From there, it's a clever twist on Soderbergh's own Oceans franchise.
Tatum takes on the low-rent white-trash version of Danny Ocean with substantial success. There's real pathos behind his motivation and a great deal of likability behind Tatum's broken-down jock routine. Logan Lucky rides the line between wacky comedy and crushing drama, succeeding easily at both.
John Cale (White House Down)
This fun action romp directed by Roland Emmerich is buoyed almost entirely by Channing Tatum's performance in the lead role and his chemistry with fellow lead Jamie Foxx. The film's premise boils down to Die Hard, set in the White House. Tatum portrays veteran, Capitol Police officer, and divorced dad John Cale, who finds himself defending President James Sawyer from a paramilitary attack.
Most of the enjoyable aspects of the film come from the comic back and forth of the leads, but Tatum continues to perform extremely well in action scenes. This is not the deepest performance, boiling down to a handful of action film stereotypes and go-to jokes, but Tatum proves he can pull off any era of action star. The actor clearly would have been right at home in the 80s action blockbuster era, as easily as he pulls off the role today.
Mark Schultz (Foxcatcher)
This 2014 film is Bennett Miller's adaptation of the challenging true tale of John du Pont, David Schultz, and his brother Mark. Mark a gifted wrestler who lives in the shadow of his elder brother despite his success, and takes the offer of a strange reclusive rich man who brings him to train at his estate.
This may be the most complex role of Tatum's career, and he nails it. The film is a masterful showcase for all three of the leads, but Tatum carries a ton of the narrative weight, often through little more than facial expressions and subtle language. This is one of the best performances of Tatum's career so far, and fans should look forward to what he could bring to the screen in the future.