Above: Tatum's recent SNL appearance.My guess is that Channing Tatum is not the first actor who spent a bit of his past stripping to make a living. Becoming a successful actor is almost an impossible task and most actors, regardless, of talent have to take on all sort of jobs between acting roles. My guess is most agents would warn their clients to keep quiet about having spent time when they were 19 on stage removing their clothes. There is a risk they would not be taken seriously and they would risk losing what respect they may have within the industry.
It is interesting that Tatum, by embracing his stripping past, actually appears to be gaining respect. With Magic Mike, the actor not only has a film, directed Steven Soderbergh, about his life, he has gained both writing and producing credits for the project. Given the cast includes some of Hollywood's hottest actors the skin quota is bound to disappoint many, but I look forward to it's release and hope the film does not try to be too heavy and embraces a bit of the camp. (ala Showgirls)
