Channing Tatum brought Magic Mike to life on screen but the actor won’t be appearing in the live show – because he’s traded in his washboard abs for a more relaxed dad bod.
The 39-year-old went through a lot of effort to achieve the perfectly sculpted body seen in the 2012 film but one year later he welcomed his daughter into the world, meaning the free time he used to spend in the gym was taken up instead by fathering duties.
Tatum spoke about his change in lifestyle on the Australian morning show Sunrise, where he was joined by Magic Mike’s choreographer, Alison Faulk.
Check out his interview below:
The actor described getting in shape for Magic Mike as a ‘full time job’, explaining it’s not just about hitting the gym and working out but also keeping a strict diet.
He added:
It’s everything. It is a lifestyle.
Though Tatum did manage to get into incredibly good shape for the film, he admitted he only stayed that way for as long as was necessary.
The 39-year-old said:
What you see in Magic Mike is me holding it together for two weeks. As soon as they cut in the last scene, I’m like, ‘Where are the cheeseburgers?’
Tatum appeared on Sunrise to promote Magic Mike Live, which sees male performers unleashing their raunchy moves to audiences across the world.
Unlike a two-week stint for a film, the performers have to live ‘like Olympic athletes’ all year – something Tatum just doesn’t have the time for.
When asked whether he’d be appearing in any of the live shows, Tatum said he would if he managed to get back in ‘that kind of shape again’ but at the moment he’s sporting a dad bod.
He explained:
[I’ve got a] dad bod, man! I got a kid now, this is what it is.
I can’t have a full-time job of being in the gym anymore!
Still, I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there who would appreciate seeing Tatum dance, even with a squishy stomach. In fact, earlier this year a survey found women prefer dad bods over six-pack abs, with participants telling researchers they find the less-toned male physique a lot ‘sexier’.
Tatum shares his six-year-old daughter, Everly, with his ex-wife Jenna Dewan, who he split up with last year.
Though the actor doesn’t perform in the live shows, he does occasionally surprise the audience by turning up to watch with them. He described Magic Mike Live as ‘just fun’ and even promised male viewers they would ‘be rewarded at the end of the night’ if they took their partners to see the show.
While the performers’ rock-hard abs might be a little intimidating, audience members with dad bods can always fall back on the knowledge they have the same physique as Channing Tatum. I think that’s a pretty great accomplishment.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.