Hollywood star Channing Tatum sways fans with his charm but panics when talking to famous people. The actor released the third installment of the Magic Mike film series, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. While the movie couldn’t bag in great reviews except for its great choreography, Tatum ended up revealing a hilarious story about a Hollywood A-lister in an interview.
Channing Tatum found himself in an awkward situation with Matt Damon while filming Haywire in 2011. The actor admitted that he gets anxious around famous people, or ones he deeply admires. Starstruck by Matt Damon, Tatum blurted out a vague question to him that he hasn’t been able to recover from ever since. The actor instantly felt embarrassed, although Damon showed his humility by answering it.
Channing Tatum still gets the sweats
Shooting in Albuquerque, the Step Up actor was left starstruck after Matt Damon sat beside him at the hotel bar to talk to director Steven Soderbergh. Hoping to grab the opportunity to strike up a compelling conversation with the 53-year-old star, Channing Tatum recalled in an interview with People, how he asked him where Damon was from. Tatum said,
“I sat down next to him, and I was like, ‘Hey, man. Where are you from?’ — and I was like ‘I just asked Matt Damon where he’s from.’ Everyone on the planet knows where Matt Damon is from, and he obviously knows that I know where Matt Damon is from, and I almost didn’t recover.”
Instantly realizing his blunder, Tatum had no way to escape the humiliation. The 43-year-old actor sat in silence for another two hours, hoping to recover. Nevertheless, Tatum recalled the Jason Bourne star as being modest while responding to his query. The Magic Mike star recalled,
“He just took care of me in that moment and answered me. It was like nothing ever happened. He was just like, ‘Oh, I’m from Boston. Where are you from?’ and I was like, ‘I’m from Florida.’ In my head I just kept screaming: ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry!’”
While Tatum is doubtful if Damon even remembers the conversation, or even him, but was left humbled by Damon’s simplicity back then. Now, Tatum tries to avoid any such mishap by simply staying away from celebrities.
Channing Tatum keeps away from famous people
Despite being a prominent figure in Hollywood himself, Tatum also revealed in the interview that he does not like meeting famous people. He admitted that his social anxiety takes over, and he starts panicking while talking to people of recognition. Tatum expressed his dilemma by saying,
“why I don’t really like to meet famous people or meet the people that I admire or even like their work.”’
Still thinking of his embarrassment with Matt Damon to date, Tatum shared that he often randomly recalls the incident and gets cold sweats in disbelief. The actor claimed that he and Damon are on friendly terms now, which somehow relieves him. In all, the memory remains etched in Tatum’s heart as one of the funniest stories of his life.
