Channing Tatum's stripper past (original) (raw)

January 19, 2010 — 3.42am

Actor Channing Tatum has revealed his talent for dancing has helped him on-screen and off.

As a broke 18-year-old, Tatum worked as a stripper to try to make ends meet before becoming an actor.

"It's absolutely true," Tatum, now 29, laughs. "I did it for almost a year. I've lived a crazy life, for sure.

"It seemed like a fun thing to do at the time and I got out unscathed. It's nothing I'm ashamed of and I'm not proud of it either. I wanted to talk about it in the beginning of my career but my publicist wouldn't let me."

Tatum, star of GI Joe and the upcoming Dear John, showed off his impressive dancing skills in Step Up, the 2006 film where he met his wife, Jenna Dewan. The pair married in July last year in Malibu.

Upon hearing about her husband's exotic skills, Dewan asked for her own private show from Tatum.

"When she found out about it, one of the first things she did was make me give her a dance," he laughs.

Tatum says he has so much material that could be used as background, he plans to make a film about a male stripper.

"I've already got the director picked out. I'd like Nicolas Refn, who did the movie Bronson, to do it because he's insane for it," he says.

"It needs to be a crazy film and I think it's also possible to do a cute, romantic movie."

So can we expect to see the star baring all in the film?

"Oh yeah. I'm going to be getting back in my thong [G-string] again," he says.

Tatum is looking forward to his wife's reaction as soon as she sees her husband's wardrobe for the movie.

"She will laugh her ass off."

DONNA WALKER-MITCHELL

LIANA'S A BARD GIRL

The daughter of TV legends John "Strop" Cornell and Delvene Delaney, Liana Cornell, hopes to emulate her parents' success when she joins the National Institute of Dramatic Art next month.

The 20-year-old was one of just nine women to be accepted into the prestigious drama school, which has taught some of our greatest actors, including Cate Blanchett.

The Byron Bay resident moves to Sydney this week to begin her studies but the former model is used to the limelight after being cast in ABC TV series East of Everything.

"My ultimate dream is to perform in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre," she says. Her parents are thrilled with her success.

"It's nice that she's not following in our footsteps but rather, walking parallel," Delaney says.

"It's so wonderful that she is so successful, independent of us. She is a Shakespeare nut.

KATE WATERHOUSE

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