Channing Tatum revealed he almost turned down Magic Mike 3 because of the rigorous diet and exercise necessary to maintain the unnatural look required for the role. Tatum is an American actor best known for his roles in Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, and Step Up. The actor's breakthrough role came with Step Up, a film that allowed him to show off his dancing skills alongside Jenna Dewan. However, his most recognizable role came with Magic Mike, an American dramedy that explores the world of male strippers.
Magic Mike premiered on June 29, 2012, and follows a 19-year old named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) who enters the male stripper industry under the guidance of Michael "Magic Mike" Lane (Tatum), who has been in the industry for years. The film is loosely based off of Tatum's own experiences when he worked as a stripper in Tampa, FL, as a teenager. Despite receiving poor critical reception, Magic Mike proved successful at the box office and spurned a sequel, Magic Mike XXL, in 2015. In November of 2021 it was confirmed that Magic Mike 3 was in development and that Tatum would be returning. However, his return didn't come without some hesitancy on his part.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show, Tatum revealed that he almost turned down Magic Mike 3 due to the unnatural level of fitness the role required. Tatum admitted that he didn't want to do a third Magic Mike film because it is very hard to look like how he looked in the first two films. The series required him to be in top-notch shape and a level of leanness that isn't natural and that requires him to starve himself. For Magic Mike 3, he had to workout twice a day and cut out salt and other essential flavors from his diet. Meanwhile, he recognized such extreme lengths for fitness is rather futile since, while it takes months for him to get a six pack, he can easily lose it in the course of only several days. Check out his statement below:
"That might be the reason why I didn't want to do a third one [Magic Mike]... Because I have to look like that. It's hard to look like that. Even if you do work out, to be that kind of in shape is not natural. That's not even healthy. You have to starve yourself. I don't think when you're that lean, it's actually healthy. I don't know how people who work a 9 to 5 actually stay in shape because it's my full-time job, and I can barely do it. Why — when it takes like, I don't know, two months to get really lean — in three days, you can lose it? It's gone. I was like, 'What happened?"
The Magic Mike films were what elevated Tatum to his status as a Hollywood star and American sex symbol. However, his comments on almost declining Magic Mike 3 serve to show that the lean and fit bodies of Magic Mike are not quite the real deal. Instead, they were made only after months of rigorous exercise and extreme dieting that is not healthy. While individuals might find the looks in Magic Mike appealing, Tatum confirmed that they are not at all natural or realistic to attain. Even when working out and staying fit is essentially his full time job, Tatum could barely keep up with the physical requirements of his role.
While it is concerning that Tatum had to undergo such unhealthy and unnatural routines to make Magic Mike 3 happen, his story definitely serves to put body image into perspective. With many Americans suffering from issues with body image, TV and film often only exacerbate the problem by depicting unattainable looks for men and women. As Tatum stated, those looks are not only unnatural and unhealthy, but it is sometimes a full-time job to merely maintain them. For those with the typical 9-5 work day, simultaneously maintaining such high levels of fitness is nearly impossible. The sacrifices that Tatum made to bring Magic Mike 3 to fruition are quite impressive to hear and speak largely of his dedication to the franchise. However, more importantly, Tatum opened up a wider discussion on the unrealistic body images portrayed in film and revealed why they are fleeting and unhealthy images that others should not strive to attain.
Source: The Kelly Clarkson Show