During an intimate event in Toronto, HELLO! spoke exclusively to Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst and director Derek Cianfrance on their new crime film Roofman. The movie, which premiered in the US on October 10 and hits the screen in the UK on October 3, sees Channing take on the role of real-life criminal Jeffrey Manchester, who broke out of jail and lived inside the walls of a Toys 'R' Us. During the interview, Channing revealed that his daughter, Everly, supported him on set and that her presence even helped him with his role.
Derek shared a conversation that he had with Jeffrey, who remains in a maximum-security prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. "If you live in a toy store for six months, it has a way to connect you to your inner child. I'm so happy Channing got a chance to be reconnected with his," Jeffrey told the director. Derek's statement prompted the actor to open up about his daughter. "I definitely was," admitted Channing. "I mean, my daughter came to set – and my daughter's never been into a Toys 'R Us. She's 12 and they're all gone. She was running around, picking up everything and playing with everything. Hula hooping. It was just joyful. She came in at the right time because it helped me even take the play up another level."
Channing spoke candidly about how his past choices helped him connect with the character on a deeper level. When asked whether Jeff's journey made him think about the choices we make in our life and what he could have been if he made different decisions in his life, the actor opened up about his personal experiences. "If he met someone like [Kirsten Dunst’s character] Leigh first, maybe he wouldn't have done any of this? Who knows what he'd have done? Maybe he'd have been a CEO of a company. I mean, who truly knows?" he replied.
"I was talking about this with one of my buddies, who has known me for a very long time. He's from Florida as well. I told him about the story and he said to me, 'Man, it sounds like you were probably, maybe, one or two decisions away from being this man.' [laughs] And I was, like, 'Yeah, that might be true.' I mean, look, I was a stripper. You know, there's a lot of bad decisions in and around that."
Despite a career path he labeled as a "bad decision", Channing acknowledged that it eventually turned to gold for him. "I think we're all one or two bad decisions away from all the rest of the decisions becoming smaller and less good," he explained. "Sometimes, the slippery slope just gets more and more slippery – and then you find yourself at the bottom, not knowing how to get up again."
Roofman's official synopsis reads: "Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald's restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in."
Interview conducted by Adam Tanswell.