Magic Mike and Foxcatcher star Channing Tatum has revealed what he considers to be one of his worst decisions he’s made during his acting career. Although his filmography speaks for itself, and he’s starred in plenty of major Hollywood productions, there’s one project he regrets not taking on: Guillermo del Toro‘s unrealized adaptation of the classic tale Beauty and the Beast.
Tatum is currently promoting his latest movie, the crime caper Roofman co-starring Kirsten Dunst. The film, which marks Tatum’s return to comedy after previously finding success in the genre with 21 Jump Street and The Lost City, sees him play Jeffrey Manchester, the real-life thief with a fixation on McDonald’s and Toys “R” Us.
Tatum and Dunst sat for a recent interview with Vanity Fair which covered a variety of topics, including working with Roofman director Derek Cianfrance. Cianfrance is also known for directing Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in the 2010 romantic drama Blue Valentine, and as revealed in the interview, Tatum was an early frontrunner for the part that ultimately went to Gosling. “At that point in my life, it was such a sad story, and I had not had a sad relationship like that,” said Tatum. “I just don’t think I could have done it.”
When asked about other roles he regrets not accepting, Tatum talked about del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast. The film, simply titled Beauty, had Emma Watson in the role of Belle, but when del Toro dropped out, Disney decided to continue with Watson under their production label. As Tatum said:
“One of the biggest mistakes of my career: Guillermo del Toro wanted to do Beauty and the Beast, his version of the Beast. And I’d just had a baby, I was on a movie that was absolutely killing me, and the script wasn’t totally there yet. I was just in a place in my head that I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this right now.’ It was the biggest mistake, because I’m the biggest Guillermo fan ever. And I think Guillermo doing Beauty and the Beast would’ve been the sickest movie ever.
“He didn’t do it. He’s got a billion other things that he wants to do. He’s such a creator. I’ll probably never forgive myself on that one, but I hope we get to work together one day.”
Guillermo del Toro Is Going for Another Classic This Year
Del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast project never came to fruition, but it’s safe to assume his vision would have tilted toward the darker aspect of the story. It would have been fascinating to see what he could have done with the fairytale.
The director’s decision to drop the project came more than ten years ago; since then, del Toro’s career has significantly evolved. He’s won Academy Awards and earned enough Hollywood clout to pursue passion projects such as his upcoming take on a different classic story: 2025’s Frankenstein, produced for Netflix and set to begin its limited theatrical run on Oct. 17 before coming to the streaming service on Nov. 7.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
