Channing Tatum shared how he wasinspired by the real man behind his titular role in the newly-released movie,Roofman.
The film narrates a shocking story of how Jeffery Manchester used to rob places by cutting holes in roof, escaped prison and spent months secretly living in a toy shop. He got the name "Roofman" due to his unique style of robbery.
Although Manchester is in prison, he made himself available to the filming team to discuss the character.
In conversation with the Entertainment Weekly, Tatum revealed that he had "lists and lists of questions about the whys and the hows, and did this really happen?"
However, he was careful not to just "grill" the subject but prefer to keep an open dialogue.
During the discussion Tatum had a moment of realisation when Manchester shared the most heart-breaking part of his story.
"He's obviously a very, very complex, multidimensional human; I think we all are," Tatum said. "He's not the hero. He is not the villain. He's just a human."
According to Tatum, Manchester openly acknowledged his past mistakes and the consequences that came with them.
When asked what he would like to do once he gets out of prison, Manchester's answer "punched [Tatum] in the gut."
The inmate told him, "I don't know if they'll ever let me, because I'm a felon, but I would love to adopt, and I would love to have a second chance of being a father and not screwing it up this time."
The Deadpool & Wolverine actor went on to explain that Manchester has come to understand the emotional toll his actions had on his family. He admitted "the thing that I cheated [my kids] out of is just my actual presence in their life."
According to Tatum, Manchester has realised that he "had to be taught a lesson" and now has to live with those consequences.
Reflecting on the conversation, Tatum said, "hope they give him a second chance to at least see the movie and then hopefully it gives a little perspective on him, and why he did what he did, and maybe it shaves some time off his sentence, but who knows?"
Roofman is now running in theatres.