Channing Tatum said he once paused a conversation with his 12-year-old daughter’s teacher to take a phone call from a super-maximum security prison while preparing for his role in the film Roofman.
Tatum, 45, told People at the Toronto International Film Festival that he and director Derek Cianfrance spent hours on the phone with convicted robber Jeffrey Manchester — who is serving a 40-year sentence at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina — to research the part. Manchester is known for a string of robberies that reportedly included 45 McDonald’s locations and a six-month period hiding inside a Toys “R” Us store.
"It's a wild thing when you can't call somebody and they call you from a supermax prison and you have 15 minutes with them," Tatum said. "You basically have to pick up, almost wherever you are." He recounted telling Manchester, "One second, prison's calling," before taking the brief conversation.
Roofman dramatizes Manchester’s double life, including his relationship with a divorced mother, played on screen by Kirsten Dunst, 43, and the ensuing unraveling when his past catches up with him. Cianfrance, 51, told reporters he spoke with Manchester "about four times a week for four years" to assemble the true story, and said he checked details with police who were involved in the case.
Tatum said the calls with Manchester helped him find his way into the character. "He's a wildly charismatic and warm human. He takes care of you on this phone call," the actor said, a remark that Dunst playfully referenced when discussing casting. Tatum said he has not met Manchester in person and expressed a hope to do so "when he gets out, or at some point I'm allowed to actually go see him."
In interviews about the film, Tatum also described drawing on his experiences as a father for emotionally charged scenes. He said imagining Manchester watching his child from afar resonated deeply with him. "I remember the first time that my daughter [rode a bike] and I was pushing her on the bike, and I can't imagine watching… I mean, I did imagine watching my daughter and not being able to go and have that moment with her. It just crushed me. Absolutely crushed me," he said.
Tatum shares custody of his daughter, Everly, with ex-wife Jenna Dewan and told Variety this week that a 50/50 arrangement can be difficult. "It's really tough not to have your daughter half the time. I wish I could just have her all the time," he said.
Cianfrance’s extended conversations with Manchester and interviews with law enforcement reflect an effort to ground the film in reported events while dramatizing the personal dynamics at the center of the story. Roofman premiered at the Toronto festival, where the cast and filmmakers discussed their research methods and the moral ambiguity the film explores.
The film’s depiction of Manchester’s time in hiding and the development of his relationship with Dunst’s character frames a tense, cat-and-mouse narrative that filmmakers say stays tethered to the facts they established through interviews and public record. As publicity for Roofman continues at festivals, Tatum and Cianfrance have emphasized their reliance on direct contact with Manchester and law enforcement to shape the film’s portrayal of the real-life episodes.