Channing Tatum described his relationship with his daughter during a discussion at the Toronto International Film Festival, held after the premiere of his new film "Josephine." The 46-year-old actor, best known for the "Magic Mike" film series, made the personal revelations following the screening.
In "Josephine," Tatum plays a father, Damien, who tries to help his 8-year-old daughter cope with the aftermath of a traumatic event. The daughter is played by Mason Reeves.
Damien tries to appear strong for his daughter's sake, encouraging her to learn to defend herself, while his wife, Claire, played by Gemma Chan, takes a different approach to raising her.
Tatum said that, like his character, he always wants to be strong for his own daughter, but admitted it is not easy to show her his vulnerable side. He said it is genuinely very difficult to tell the small creature you love more than anything else in the world that you are not actually okay.
He went on to describe a moment with his daughter when he was hurting and simply told her that he was not okay at that moment. He said you always want to be the strongest person, like Superman, in their life, but that sometimes you just cannot be.
Tatum's daughter Everly
Tatum and his former wife, actress Jenna Dewan, had their daughter, Everly, in 2013. The couple divorced in 2018.
Tatum has spoken before about how quickly his daughter is growing up, during an appearance on the programme "Today with Jenna & Sheinelle." He said people always say it goes by fast, and recalled feeling as though he had left for just two weeks for a round of interviews, only to return and find that the first two weeks of seventh grade had already passed, along with all of Everly's childhood.
He said it disappeared within two weeks. He had thought he would have three or four months to watch her slowly grow up, he said, but she is now a regular teenager. He described the change as beautiful but also something that makes you want to cry.
Bonding on the set of Josephine
Gemma Chan, 43, who is known for films including "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Eternals," plays Tatum's on-screen wife in "Josephine." Speaking to PEOPLE on the film's red carpet, Chan said the small on-screen "family" spent time together off set as well.
She said they went to the park and went on hikes together, while Tatum and his young co-star, Mason Reeves, went to a nail salon together and had their nails done.
