Channing Tatum walking on the red carpet at the 2021 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala. Anthony Behar

Channing Tatum explains break from acting: 'I wanted to take a breather'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 2/2/22

Channing Tatum is infiltrating screens everywhere lately, but according to Variety, there was a time when he seriously "contemplated quitting" the movie business.

"Do I want to act anymore?" Tatum told Variety of the questions he was asking himself in 2018, around when he and Jenna Dewan announced they were divorcing. "Was I going to direct? Do I want to be in the industry anymore? I got lucky. I won a creative lottery ticket. I made a little bit of money, so I could take a step back and figure out what life is."

The 41-year-old star continued: "I really took time off. I sculpted. I took pictures. I wrote my own stuff, not like a script or anything. Just creating on different levels. I wanted to take a breather."

Ultimately, Tatum decided not to abandon films. In fact, he appears to have doubled down on the craft.

Due in theaters this month, Tatum stars in Dog, also his directorial debut:

And then next month, he will costar alongside Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe in adventure romantic comedy The Lost City:

That's before mentioning Tatum's forthcoming starring roles in girlfriend Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut Pussy Island as well as Magic Mike's Last Dance—the third and presumably final installment in the popular franchise.

See more from Tatum's Variety cover below.

Inside Variety’s cover story with @channingtatum:
A Movie Star Returns: Why Channing Tatum Is Finally Ending His Break From Acting https://t.co/vB21SbIuX7 pic.twitter.com/70mPGqog3s
— Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2022

In #Dog, Channing Tatum stars as an Army Ranger who drives across the U.S. to take a Belgian Malinois to its owner’s funeral. The movie is personal for him: it was inspired by the death of Lulu, his beloved pit bull-Catahoula mix, from cancer in 2018. https://t.co/Wu5fwOwo2g pic.twitter.com/lAMB2Zm63M
— Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2022

Initially, Channing Tatum’s new movie was titled “The Lost City of D.” Then, the title was changed to just “The Lost City.” Now, Tatum has gone on the record about the change.

“I wished they wouldn’t have dropped the ‘D.’ You never drop the ‘D.’” https://t.co/Wu5fwOeNaI pic.twitter.com/JSo91hhXYT
— Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2022

Channing Tatum is set to produce and star in the thriller “Pussy Island,” which will be girlfriend Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut.

“She’s a perfectionist in the best possible way,” Tatum says. https://t.co/Wu5fwOeNaI pic.twitter.com/fv6sAHC6oz
— Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2022

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