Even Channing Tatum Hated G.I. JOE


I think it takes some balls to come out and admit that a movie you were in sucks. You’re getting paid to be involved with it for over a year of life, you turn up on set every day at 5am, you go through with a grueling press tour and promote it as if the movie is God’s golden shit – and you still have to do all of that even if it sucks. We geeks can easily sit at our computer desks and laugh about how bad a movie like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is, but that’s easy for us to say when the extent of our involvement was watching trailers and following the production.

That’s why I gotta give props to Channing Tatum for coming out and admitting that that movie sucked ass. Speaking on the Howard Stern Show, Tatum revealed that he in fact “fucking hates that movie,” and was pushed into doing it from Coach Carter.

“You’re like, ‘Oh my God, that sounds amazing!’ I’m doing that!’ Options go from like $60,000 to like $80,000 to like $100,000. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so much money!’ Even if I just get one other of those movies, I’m good. So time goes by and you get other jobs and you’re building your quote and things happen and you have a dream job that you want to go do, and the studio calls up and they’re like, ‘Hey, we got a movie for you. We’re going to send it to you.’ And it was right during the writers’ strike. And it’s G.I. Joe. I’m like, ‘Look, G.I. Joe? I love G.I. Joe. Can I play Snake Eyes?’ And they’re like, ‘No. You’re not playing Snake Eyes.'” The actor insisted that had no choice. “‘Hey, you’re doing this. You’re doing this or we’re going to sue you.'” (via E! Online)

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I watched the first movie a very long time ago (when I was a Jedi youngling) and I thought it was some hot shit. Explosions, cool action – what more could you want in a movie?! Well, as I learned with age, lots of things. Despite my thoughts at the time I don’t really remember much from the movie, although I suppose that’s a good thing. With Tatum’s comments perhaps the sequel’s title takes on a new meaning; Retaliation against him as much as it was against audiences.

We geeks like it when actors join in the fun of ripping their own movies to shreds. Not only because it validates our own feelings on the matter but it also makes them seem more human. We’re all tired of how Hollywood talent has to recycle the same PR bullshit at every press junket, so it’s nice to see an actor actually doing something different for a change. The reason why more don’t do this is probably because it makes them seem ungrateful, and Tatum recognises this. As much as it sucked, if he hadn’t appeared in G.I. Joe then he wouldn’t have been able to build the career that he’s got now.

“I’m super lucky and blessed to have been given that film. That really was not that bad.”

Y’know, I think I like Channing Tatum a little more after this interview.