After a busy decade during which he starred in a string of hits including comedies 21 Jump St and Hail, Caesar!, action blockbusters White House Down and G.I. Joe and acclaimed dramas Foxcatcher and Magic Mike, the exotic dancer and model turned A-list actor took a big step back. Since his supporting part in the 2017 spy-comedy Kingsman: the Golden Circle, Tatum has just a handful of voice roles on his impressive CV, as he took stock of his life, reassessed his role as a parent and wondered whether his heart was still in acting. Having worked with some of the directing greats such as Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers and Stephen Soderbergh, Tatum was also becoming more interested in other creative avenues, particularly alongside his long-time friend and collaborator, writer-producer Reid Carolin, with whom he had started the production company Free Association. “I didn’t want to just keep taking jobs,” Tatum says over Zoom call from the US. “I had worked with some of my favourite directors and if they came knocking again then I might have said ‘yes’ but I really made it a specific thing to let the studios know that I wasn’t really looking for anything for a while. “I really wanted to find something for Reid and I, plus I wanted to spend some time with my daughter and have some space in my life to figure out, ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’ “And I was lucky enough to have the space to be able to do that, because a lot of people can’t.”The special project that lured him back was Dog, Tatum’s first stint in the director’s chair, with Carolin as his co-director. The comedy-drama about a damaged US Army Ranger tasked with bringing a military dog across country in time for her former handler’s funeral comes with the tagline “don’t worry, the dog doesn’t die”. The touching road movie has been warmly received in Tatum’s native US, and has already tripled its $20 million budget at the box office. “We finally found Dog and the story that we wanted to tell and it’s come from a personal place and I think it’s given me the feeling that I definitely want to keep acting,” says Tatum. Tatum, Carolin and their friend Brett Rodriguez, a former soldier, had already collaborated on the 2017 documentary War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend, about the relationship between Special Operations forces and the multipurpose canines that served alongside them in combat. The trio were fascinated by the bond formed between the men and their dogs, not only in the field but also in helping to heal the trauma of war. In 2018, Tatum’s own dog, Lulu, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and he took her for one last road trip up the Pacific coast of the US so they could make some final memories together. And if Carolin and Tatum’s earlier collaboration on Magic Mike – about the latter’s experiences as a stripper – was a reaction to turning 30 and pondering the meaning of life, Dog was a response to turning 40 and learning how to accept the things they can’t control. “Dogs are just so pure,” says Tatum. “There is no malevolence and they are so very much there in the moment and they can really bring you into the moment as well. They are a gift and I don’t know if we are exactly worthy of them in a lot of respects. I am obviously a dog person – I think they are very special.” Having researched the subject thoroughly for their documentary, writer Carolin observed how in many cases the unquestioning, unwavering love of dogs had helped emotionally shattered returned soldiers to rebuild their lives. “I think when you are at a really low point and you come into contact with some being that doesn’t judge you and doesn’t see you any way in which you see yourself and just loves you no matter what – even when you are at your worst position – that’s going to change your life and give you a new perspective on the world,” Carolin says.After meeting on the 2008 dance drama Stop-Loss as star and executive producer, Tatum and Carolin have worked together on Magic Mike and its sequel (and live theatre spin-off), as well as White House Down and Logan Lucky, but directing a feature film for the first time was a huge step up for both. Tatum, who says he had been taking mental notes on directing on every set he’s ever been on, describes the experience as a “pseudo controlled avalanche”. “You set up all the rocks in the place where you think you are going to funnel the avalanche and then you are just like running downhill going ‘oh shit, oh shit, oh shit’ and you’re trying to put out fires all over,” he says with a laugh.Carolin says their shared experience and friendship made what could have been a very daunting experience a lot less lonely and a lot more fun. “I think directing is generally speaking a benevolent dictatorship and as you get into the job you realise that there are all sorts of ways to do it,” he says. “Having consistent leadership is really important, so if you are going to do it together then having a really good shorthand with somebody you have worked with for a long time certainly makes it a lot easier.”While Tatum, who is in almost every scene of Dog, enjoyed the overall experience, he really struggled to watch himself on screen. He left most of the editing to Carolin and doubts he’ll ever direct a movie in which he stars again. “The people who can do it, I am not saying anything bad about them but I can’t do it,” he says. “I was like, ‘Guys, this is not healthy for my mind or my emotions or my mental health – I’ll watch an edited version when you guys are done and hopefully I don’t throw myself out of a window’.” Tatum and Reid are also determined to bring their Magic Mike Live show back to Australia after Covid-19 restrictions forced the closure of many theatre productions last year.After a successful run in Sydney, the high-energy show was cancelled just weeks into its Melbourne season last August, and was also due to tour Brisbane and Perth. But Tatum says he was so happy with the enthusiastic local response to the party atmosphere and the raunchy routines featuring scantily-clad blokes gyrating on stage that he plans to try again as soon as it’s safe to do so.“We are going to get control of this and we are absolutely going to be coming back to Oz and doing the whole thing all over again,” he said. “Y’all really loved it over there – it was doing really well. It’s a fun show and I think your culture over there really gets it. It’s a funny and fun show – and you guys are just really rad. We love Oz. Aussies and Magic Mike do well together – it’s a good mix.”Dog opens in cinemas on March 17
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