Sometimes we forget that even people we view as big Hollywood stars are often shaking in their boots when they work with … well, bigger Hollywood stars. Or, perhaps more to the point, legends.
Though Channing Tatum’s stock has been rising for a while now, he had to fight for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, and the actor wasn’t above making a rookie mistake or two when he finally did set foot on set.
In a conversation with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Tatum admitted that he bugged Tarantino repeatedly while lobbying to be cast in the film. “I basically sent about an email a day for about a month just like, threatening any other actors that might be up for the role,” he said. He went on to add that he told the director, “whoever you’re thinking about for this part just lock me in a room with no windows or doors and whoever comes out gets the job.”
Of course, Tatum was kidding about that last part and joked that he was afraid that he was going to hear that Mike Tyson was being considered. Not exactly who you’d want to locked in a windowless, doorless room with.
Later in the conversation, Tatum told Fallon that, once he had the part, he almost injured another one of the film’s stars at the first table read. Here’s how he related the story:
“I have a scene with Bruce Dern, and so, one of our first things is, you know, I have to shake his hand and I make this really dumb, overzealous decision and I pull him in really close and this is at a table read and — I almost pulled Bruce Dern out of his chair. And he’s like ‘you jerk, you almost pulled my arm out of its socket.'”
Fortunately, the two later buried the hatchet and tatum now credits Dern with helping to take care of him during filming. He also told Fallon that the actor taught him a thing or two on set, including how not to rough up his castmates, we presume.
The Hateful Eight hits theaters New Year’s Day, and stars Channing Tatum (Jody), Samuel L. Jackson (Major Marquis Warren), and Bruce Dern (General Sandy Smithers), among others.
