Channing Tatum on Becoming Captain Latin America in ‘The Book of Life’

By Jorge Carreón.

Here’s a fun fact about Channing Tatum: Did you know he has an inner mustache that’s the source of all his power? It’s true that no one’s ever seen it…until now. And it took his taking on his first real lead role in an animated film to make it happen.

When it came to casting the new fantasy-adventure “The Book of Life,” director Jorge Gutierrez and producer Guillermo del Toro knew they would need a specific voice for the role of Mexican village hero Joaquin. As the male counterpoint to the soulful musician-slash-bullfighter Manolo (portrayed by Diego Luna), he is both the best friend and romantic rival for the heart of Maria (portrayed by Zoë Saldaña). The two roles not only put a new spin to the classic “Prince Charming” type, they also represent the two sides of what it is to be a hero: the poet and the muscle.

Tatum’s ascent to stardom has been built on roles that offered being both archetypes at once, a key reason why he was sought for the character of Joaquin. With “The Book of Life,” Tatum was thrilled to finally enter the arena of animation in a lead role. (The actor previously voiced a cameo as Superman in the hit “LEGO Movie”). And, when the role was pitched to the actor by Gutierrez, Tatum responded eagerly to the director’s impassioned telling of “The Book of Life.” Once the pitch meeting was over, Tatum was more than eager to sign up. But he was concerned about one important aspect of the role. Did the filmmakers know he wasn’t Mexican?

“I told Channing that Joaquin was basically ‘Captain Latin America,’” Gutierrez said with a smile. “He needed to have the bravado of Argentina, the smoothness of Brazil – and of course, the mustaches of Mexico!”

To which Tatum responded, “Oh, so I should just be me?”

QUESTION: It’s hard to believe that “The Book of Life” is your first real lead role in animation?

CHANNING TATUM: It was fun! I’ve been kind of wanting to do it for a while, but the opportunity never came up. I heard the story as to why the director wanted to make the movie. Before (director) Jorge (Gutierrez) even told me about what the story of the film was about, I was in. I signed up like that. It’s just so personal to him, you know? I know he hasn’t come out and told all the personal touches or the relationship that he has with the real story. It’s his story to tell, but I was pretty honored to be a part of it.

QUESTION: What did you want to bring to this role of the dashing and heroic Joaquin?

CHANNING TATUM: Jorge was just like, “There is no wrong here. You literally cannot go wrong. Let’s just play.” I never really read a script. It was always just a really fluid and malleable story process. I think the pressure was really taken off of the actors specifically. It is up to the storytellers and animators. So, you just kind of go in and they tell you what the situation is and then you do what they’ve written and then you play. I think if there’s any freedom, that’s truly given from the people like Jorge and all the producers and everyone having confidence in their storytelling abilities just let us like pop real easy and go crazy.

QUESTION: The recording process is usually a solitary process for an actor, although that seems to be changing more and more. Actors are getting a chance to “act” together in the booth. The camaraderie in “The Book of Life” is tangible. Were you able to record with Diego Luna and Zoë Saldana?

CHANNING TATUM: I would have loved to have been able to do that, but we didn’t actually do this one like that. I was always in a sound booth with Jorge on the other end. It’s a pretty unique experience not being able to play off another person. As the process goes on, you get to play off of other people’s recordings and whatnot, but you never really get to look them in the eye. But it was fun. You get to rely just on the storyteller to be “directed” instead of doing a little bit of it yourself. They really know where the story is going, so you just kind of have to surrender to it. I really enjoyed it. The structure of animated movies is like the wild, wild west. You can do almost anything. You can make up the rules as you go as long as you abide by whatever the rules that you set. It was pretty crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

QUESTION: Director Jorge Gutierrez has mentioned that he wanted you to portray Joaquin as “Captain Latin America.” What are your thoughts on the multiculturalism at play with the casting of the film?

CHANNING TATUM: I talked to Jorge a lot about that in the beginning. I might have some Mexican heritage somewhere? [LAUGHS], But I definitely I am not that. But he was like, “No, I just want you.” I think it was a conscious choice for a lot of the characters to not sound so ethnic. You feel everyone can relate to the story, not just someone from that background.

QUESTION: What was the process like for you in finding your “voice” as Joaquin?

CHANNING TATUM: I didn’t have anything specific in my head that I was going for. I have to say certain Spanish words, like the name of the town. You want a uniform pronunciation. You want everyone to be saying it the same way, so there were certain things, like how you would say Maria. You want it to all feel like it is of the same world. But it’s really all just trial and error. I was having so much fun and you can really get wrapped up in listening to Diego Luna’s voice. I love his accent. You want to sound like that, but you kind of have to make sure that I’m not doing sort of some fake Mexican accent or something. It was a really safe environment, so you can laugh if you’ve completely screwed something up. Jorge’s obviously on top of it, you know? He’s right there making sure that you’re not going to offend anyone, either.

QUESTION: Is it true that one of the ways in which Jorge Gutierrez won you over was because your character would have a mustache? Audiences should note that this is the first time you’ve ever sported facial hair for a role.

CHANNING TATUM: That was the pitch! [LAUGHS] That was the pitch. Joaquin gets all of his power from his mustache. I was like, “That’s weird because that’s where I get all my power.” But, my mustache is hidden, so it’s from my animated self mustache that I’m pulling from. [LAUGHS]

QUESTION: Has becoming a new father played a role in selecting the projects you want to take on as an actor?

CHANNING TATUM: I got a lot of explaining to do with my daughter, eventually. [LAUGHS] A lot of explaining. But, I think just as every parent gets into those shoes, you start to realize that you want something for them to be able to watch before they’re fifteen years old. I definitely didn’t do “The Book of Life” just for my daughter. I really did it because I loved the story and everything that it touches on. I’d always known about the Mexican “Day of the Dead” and the general emphasis of it. I didn’t know the finer points and the beauty in it. It was just really cool art to me. I probably didn’t even have the real definition of what the day means until I spoke to Jorge.

QUESTION: A key theme in “The Book of Life” is how we should all write our own story. If you review your life’s narrative, what part are you most proud of to date?

CHANNING TATUM: I think there’s always more to write. I’m really proud of the story that I’ve written so far. We have to live to the highest extent. Don’t ever be afraid to make a choice because you can always make another one. I think I’ve done a lot in my life. I can definitely say that I’ve made, not wrong turns, but turns where I’ve been like, “Alright, I don’t want to do this anymore.” You go on and you learn from every single thing you’ve done in your life. I think that’s reminiscent of our characters in the story. They’re all so alive and they’re all not perfect. They all have a sort of an inner song, their dream or want. You’ve got to just keep moving towards those dreams.

QUESTION: Does a challenge like taking on your first role in an animated film have an effect on how you view your life as an actor?

CHANNING TATUM: When I sat down with my acting coach for this first time, she said, “You have 10 years to become a good actor. You really have start to understand what you’re doing.” I didn’t mind. I was like, “No it’s not. I’m going to definitely figure it out way before 10 years.” I think I kept that somewhere in my subconscious, but it was just my 10th year last year and it’s true. When you put the time into it on a daily basis, I really do believe that you start to get inside of it more and more. I definitely don’t have anything figured out, like I have the “Golden Ticket.” But I definitely feel in my heart that I really am starting to understand more of what I’m doing, how I’m doing it and why I’m doing it. It’s not just about my character, it’s about the story and how my character fits into it. I think in the beginning of my career, I was really just sort of trying to understand my part and not how my part fits into the larger reason of why to make it.

QUESTION: You’ve played your share of romantic leads. So, in a perfect world, who should win Maria’s heart in “The Book of Life?” Joaquin the hero or Manolo the poet?

CHANNING TATUM: I think Maria’s heart always belonged to Manolo. Joaquin is living in a fantasy world, but that’s kind of the way it works though, huh? Man, I don’t know. There’s a reason why so many people in the world love Justin Timberlake, okay? [LAUGHS]

“The Book of Life” opens nationwide on Friday, October 17.