Channing Tatum may be a Hollywood veteran himself, but stepping onto set with Kirsten Dunst came with its own set of nerves. The 45-year-old actor confessed that while he has long admired Dunst’s body of work, the thought of collaborating with her on Roofman left him feeling unexpectedly anxious.
“I was so intimidated to work with her, and when I said intimidated, I was afraid,” Tatum revealed at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere. With a laugh, he added, “I just wanted her to like me. I was like, ‘Please like me.’”
Tatum counts Dunst’s early role in Interview with the Vampire as a personal favourite. “I couldn't imagine doing what she did in that film at that age. Everything she's ever done, I've been obsessed with,” he admitted.
In Roofman, Tatum portrays Jeffrey Manchester, a former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s by cutting holes in their roofs—earning him the nickname “Roofman.” After breaking out of prison, Manchester hides out in a Toys “R” Us for six months, plotting his next move until he unexpectedly falls for Leigh (Dunst), a divorced mother whose connection with him complicates his double life.
The film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, also stars Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias, Jimmy O Yang, and Peter Dinklage.
Tatum has previously spoken about the challenge of taking on a real-life figure, something he has done only a handful of times. “It’s impossible to tell someone’s real life story in 90 minutes,” he told Entertainment Weekly in June. “I’ve only played two other real people in my life, and it’s not very comfortable. I feel a lot of pressure. It gets muddy.”
Roofman arrives in theatres on October 10, 2025.
