Overview

• Tatum disclosed the decision while accepting a Tribute Performer Award at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7.
• Director Derek Cianfrance had first offered him the role after seeing Tatum in 2006’s A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
• Tatum said he felt unprepared for the film’s intensity, noting he hadn’t been in a relationship like the one depicted and later even blocked the memory out.
• Ryan Gosling ultimately played the part opposite Michelle Williams, who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination, and Tatum said Gosling “killed” the role.
• Tatum has since reunited with Cianfrance on Roofman, in which he plays real-life convict Jeffrey Manchester; the film is slated to open in theaters Oct. 10.