March 23, 2025: Channing Tatum recently opened up about his dramatic weight transformations for movie roles, sharing before-and-after shirtless selfies on Instagram to showcase the impressive changes in his physique.
In his post, Tatum revealed his weight fluctuations for three different projects. “We back up! lol. 1st photo is today 205,” he wrote, followed by a comparison shot of himself at 235 pounds for his role in Josephine, and another at 172 pounds for his upcoming film Roofman. Tatum filmed Josephine in mid-2024, and Roofman in the fall.
The actor expressed gratitude for his genetic makeup and acknowledged the support of the professionals who helped him through the drastic changes. “Grateful for my chef/nutritionist/witch. Grateful for my trainer. I couldn’t make these big swings in my weight without you guys,” he added. However, Tatum joked about not wanting to take on any more “fat roles” in the future due to the toll they take on his body. “It’s too hard on the body and too hard to take off now [sic]. But damn when I look at these pics, it’s just wild what the human body will do.”
Tatum, who had previously shared in 2014 that he wanted to weigh 180 pounds, revealed his dramatic weight loss for Roofman in an Instagram post back in October. His body transformations for movie roles, particularly for the Magic Mike franchise, have been well-documented over the years. The effort to get into and maintain such extreme shape was a significant challenge for the actor, to the point where it almost made him skip the third Magic Mike installment.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022, Tatum admitted that the physical demands of the Magic Mike series almost deterred him from returning for the third film. “That might be the reason why I didn’t want to do a third one,” he said, explaining how hard it is to maintain that level of fitness. “It’s hard to look like that, even if you do work out, to be in that kind of shape is not natural…you have to starve yourself. I don’t think when you’re that lean, it’s healthy.”
Despite the physical toll, Tatum’s candid reflections on his body transformations demonstrate his dedication to his craft—and the reality of the challenges that come with extreme weight changes for movie roles.