Channing Tatum talks G.I. JOE and PUBLIC ENEMIES

I just got back from attending the “Stop Loss” press day and I managed to get some time with two of the stars of the upcoming “G.I. Joe” movie. In case you didn’t know, Paramount is continuing to mine Hasbro toy properties as they’re currently filming “G.I Joe” as we speak.

Anyway, a little while ago I posted what Joseph Gordon Levitt had to say about both “G.I. Joe” and “Akira,” and now I’ve got some selected quotes from Channing Tatum. While Joseph plays a bad guy in the movie, Channing plays Duke. And if the movie is similar to the animated series and comic, he’ll be the second in command of the Joe’s.

The other thing to know about Channing is that after he wraps on “Joe” he’ll go right into playing Pretty Boy Floyd in Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies.” And if you haven’t heard about this film…wow, is it going to be good. Not only do you have Michael Mann directing, but you’ve got Johnny Depp and Christian Bale as the two leads.

And one final thing before reading the selected quotes. Channing actually reveals a few big things about “G.I. Joe” and “Public Enemies,” so if you’re trying to stay spoiler free do not go any further.

As always, if you’d like to listen to the audio of the roundtable interview, click here. Just know it’s the full transcript and not the selected quotes. Look for a full transcript soon.

Question: What’s with the little facial hair there? Is that for a role or-

Channing Tatum: Yeah, I’m doing G. I. Joe right now.

Question: Oh. You’re the other G. I. Joe guy?

Channing Tatum: Yeah, I’m the other guy, but I’m just trying to grow up a little bit. (Laughter)

Collider: Channing, I’ll just throw this question at you. In the last few years your career has definitely exploded. You are doing G. I. Joe right now and you are also gonna be in Public Enemies.

Channing Tatum: Little part, little part. I have a really cool, little part in that.

Collider: Can you talk a little bit about what attracted you to G. I. Joe and what the experience has been like and also are you looking forward to working with Christian Bale and Johnny Depp?

Channing Tatum: Oh man, that goes without saying. That’s obvious. I’ve been a huge fan of both those guys and Michael Mann. You know, G. I. Joe, I was originally opposed to it. Especially coming off of Stop-Loss, playing a soldier about a really sensitive topic? I had no interest in going to play a fake soldier in a hyper-real kind of fantasy war. I was just like, “Nope. No thanks”, and then it came back around and I met on it and I read the script finally and the script was great. It actually has nothing to do with war, nothing to do at all. It’s X-Men and Mission Impossible, Star Wars. That’s how it is. I got kind of excited about it and jumped on. Joe’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in it so that was kind of more of an incentive. I love him. He’s one of my best friends and to get a chance to work with him for a long time is really fun. Then I get to play Pretty Boy Floyd in the Michael Mann thing and Christian Bale gets to shoot me so…I never died in a movie. I’m a little nervous. I am like, “Oh god!” That’s a tall order, you know?

Collider: Joseph plays the opposite side of you. Are you guys trash talking each other?

Channing Tatum: Oh, you have no idea. (Laughter) You have no idea. In this he gets the better of me. I’m strapped to a table and he’s like torturing me so it’s not gonna be fun. It’s not gonna be fun. I’m like, “Great, wait ‘til number two”. I’m like, “you’ve got it coming.”