Directed by Steven Soderbergh and based off a screenplay written by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike is also loosely inspired by one of Hollywood’s leading men, Channing Tatum.
Based in southern Florida, Tatum portrays the life of a 19-year-old who is forced to turn to dancing in order to make some money, but it turns out he’s quite good at it. The story follows the group on and off of the stage, adding an element of comedy and drama to the musical productions.
The movie and the sequel, Magic Mike XXL, were both so successful, they ended up creating a live show that went on in Las Vegas.
With women being among most of the audience members of this show, Tatum told People, “We just kind of did something that we thought was important, which was actually make it for women, and not for women to come and worship men. To actually worship the women that are coming to the show and do something for them instead of just being like, it’s all about the dudes up there.”
There’s so much going on in front of and behind the camera for these Magic Mike stars and so much of it can relate back to the film, itself. From relationships to on-set feuding, the life of Magic Mike keeps getting more and more complex.
Here are 15 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets About The Magic Mike Movies.
15. Channing Tatum used to be Magic Mike
When most people hear Tampa, Florida, pictures of beaches and summer vibes flood their minds. The Washington Post reports that Magic Mike pulls back this tropical curtain and reveals a world behind Tampa, a world in which famous Hollywood actor, Channing Tatum, has quite the history. Magic Mike was based on a screenplay, but has a lot of inspiration from Tatum’s past life when he was younger and in need of a job.
The movie focuses on the situation the 19-year-old him had to subject himself to in order to make money. Rolling Stone says that when a video was released of Tatum dancing at a Florida club prior to his stardom, his PR team freaked out, but Tatum had an entirely different reaction. He didn’t care that people knew and said, “I’m not ashamed of it.” Also adding that he was not going to hide this part of his past.
Well, this news landed him a role in Magic Mike, which also ended up having a sequel so nothing negative really came out of this video leak. Not only did Tatum star in the movie, but he also produced and co-financed the film. While many thought Tatum’s past was going to put a damper on his reputation, it did just the opposite, skyrocketing him farther up the ladder of success.
14. Rumors on the set
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan met while filming the movie, Step Up in 2006. Pressreader reported that Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan had called it quits this year after a 12-year relationship together, which involves their 4-year-old daughter, Everly Tatum.
Rumors have said that the split was caused by Tatum’s excessive drinking and cheating, but Dewan-Tatum has strongly denied the claims.
According to Pressreader, Tatum’s reputation as a “ladies man” have not done him very well in his relationships because it made Dewan worried, especially when she saw him out without his wedding ring on.
Rumors that Tatum wasn’t behaving himself while filming the movie and was potentially in cahoots with Amber Heard started.
Tatum and Dewan told People, “Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best-friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.”
13. School children rewrote the script to Magic Mike
Anyone who has seen the Magic Mike movies knows it isn’t a movie for children, but Jimmy Fallon decided to have children rewrite the script, having no information about the movie except for the title. Tatum stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to perform Magic Mike scenes written by the children.
“I’m like regular Mike, except Magic” was the infamous line from one of the children’s recreation. While trying to remain in character from the actual movie, Magic Mike, Tatum saved a boy with a flat tire on his bike with his “magic bike pump” and even revealed his true identity at the end.
During The Tonight Show, Steve Higgins sets the scenes for Tatum and Fallon as they improvised in a segment called, “Kid Theater” which involved a dramatic reading of the scripts the children had drafted, involving many innuendos that may not be considered kid-friendly.
Tatum played the role of Magic Mike for the first two skits, switching roles to Magic Bird for the last one, letting Fallon take a shot at Magic Mike, which quickly turned into a musical rendition of a man named Magic Mike singing with Magic Bird to try and make him feel better about being a bird. It’s a little bit of a different rendition then people are familiar with these days, but it seemed to be just as entertaining.
12. The Real Magic Mike Wants Some Credit
Magic Mike the movie has been said to be inspired by Channing Tatum, but the real Magic Mike is now speaking out and wants some credit, according to Daily Mail. Michael Sorrentino was performing as “Magic Mike” when he met Channing Tatum soon after Tatum had dropped out of a college. Sorrentino claims that he taught Tatum everything he knows and deserves some credit for the Magic Mike movies.
Sorrentino has since been put in jail for various crimes, says Daily Mail, but adds that he feels like Tatum has treated ignored him since, never bringing up how much he had learned from him or paying him for the use of his stage name, “Magic Mike.”
“I got a bunch of letters from people saying, ‘I can’t believe they are using your name.’ But since I was in jail, my hands were tied.” Sorrentino said, also adding, “I’m the real Magic Mike.”
According to Daily Mail, when asked about Tatum, Sorrentino said, “He was no different than any of us. But I’m not going to put him down – you are who you hang around with.”
Sorrentino says that since he helped Tatum out so much then, he would like to be repaid by Tatum helping him out in return.
A famous part of the Magic Mike movies would be using whipped cream during the dancing scenes, another thing that was part of Tatum’s 1990’s career as a dancer under Sorrentino’s guidance.
11. Channing Tatum wrote Magic Mike XXL
Based on a screenplay by Reid Carolin, the Magic Mike movies were inspired by Channing Tatum’s past life, a story The Hollywood Reporter calls “somewhat autobiographical.” Carolin and Tatum put their heads together after the first Magic Mike movie proved to be successful and began working on the second script together, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Tatum also produced the movies, taking a role in writing Magic Mike XXL. Word got out that Tatum was working on writing the Magic Mike sequel, Magic Mike XXL, when the actor shared an Instagram photo of him with pen to paper while looking at Matthew McConaughey’s bust.
Matthew McConaughey starred alongside Tatum in the first Magic Mike film, but was not present in the second. The picture shared by Tatum is slightly ironic being that McConaughey’s character was written out of the script Tatum was writing, while staring at a sculpture of his head. If anything, that should’ve been inspiration to write him back in, especially since Tatum and McConaughey seem to have such a strong relationship with one another.
The picture features Tatum sporting a fedora, captioned “What better way to start writing #MagicMike2 than with my old friend Dallas? #runatribe "
10. Talk About A Bromance
Matthew McConaughey isn’t the only Matt that Tatum has been staring at. Hello! says Tatum “is obsessed with Matt Bomer’s eyes, who plays Ken in the Magic Mike movies.”
“No matter if you’re a man, woman, cat, hamster, you will get lost in Matt Bomer’s eyes,” Tatum told Reddit.
“I don’t know what they are made of outside of dreams and rainbows and amazingness, but it truly doesn’t matter. And when he sings, it’s like God gave with both hands and then grew a third hand and graced him with more. He’s crazy talented,” he added.
It seems like Tatum isn’t the only one who has a bit of a crush on Bomer. NewNowNext says that Bomer has mentioned the amount of straight guys who have come up to him commenting on the movie, usually trying to pull the “my girlfriend made me see it.” He never believes them.
Bomer has been married to Hollywood Publicist, Simon Halls for seven years. They were married even before Bomer came out as gay at the Desert AIDS Project’s Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in California says E News. The couple now has three children, including twins. The happily married Bomer really does have nice eyes and they don’t go unnoticed, even by his co-stars.
9. Alex Pettyfer and Channing Tatum don’t get along
Alex Pettyfer, who played Adam alongside Channing Tatum in the first Magic Mike movie, told Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast that the two did not get along, according to Project Casting.
“Channing Tatum does not like me,” said Pettyfer. “For many reasons. Many being my own fault.”
Due to Pettyfer’s past, Tatum may have seen him as a business risk when he was cast in the first movie – a project that Tatum had invested a lot of his own money into. Pettyfer complimented him, saying that Tatum is a “smart businessman” and he understands why he was hesitant to take him on in the cast.
Pettyfer tells Bret Easton Ellis that he has a problem with how he behaves on set and how he promotes movies. To solve this, Pettyfer became very stand-offish and went off alone after he filmed his scenes on Magic Mike, mostly to avoid getting into any trouble.
“I didn’t speak on the movie [set]. I was scared to speak,” he told Bret Easton Ellis. “I did my work and then I sat in the corner and listened to music because I’d been told that anything I do was wrong by my reps and I was very insecure as a human being.”
8. Reese’s Pieces Launched A Magic Mike Dance Party
The Daily Edge reported that Channing Tatum threw a Magic Mike-themed dance party in a store when he was buying Reese’s Pieces. Tatum was recognized by the store clerk, who summoned him behind the counter, and the two began to dance together. Tatum’s friend had been on Facebook Live before the interaction, filming Tatum buying some coffee and candy when the dancing began. Tatum and his friend were on a pit stop while driving across the country, but got a pop-up party instead.
Tatum and the cashier, Beatrice, danced to Nas and Lauryn Hill’s “If I Ruled The World” together and Beatrice cranked the volume up loud to really get the party started.
The two danced for a while before stopping to snap some pictures with other fans in the store.
Tatum hung behind the counter claiming to be the store manager while Beatrice rang up some customers, briefly commenting that they “could get out” so her time with Tatum wasn’t interrupted.
Tatum may have had some good moves, but Beatrice could really break it down, even putting on a snapback similar to Tatum’s so the two could match. Tatum stayed to sign Beatrice’s hat before he and his friend got back on the road.
7. Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara
US Weekly reported on how Joe Manganiello is so in love with his wife, Modern Family star, Sofia Vergara. According to US Weekly, the two began dating in 2014, shortly after Vergara’s split with Nicholas Loeb. Manganiello and Vergara became engaged on Christmas Day in 2014.
Manganiello told Hola! USA, “Once you realize that kind of trust has manifested, you hang on for dear life. Or in my case, you go and buy a ring.” But things weren’t always sunshine and rainbows for this Hollywood couple who actually faced some rough patches while Manganiello was starring in Magic Mike.
Hello!says that Manganiello was so committed to his role in Magic Mike that he performed one of his dances with a torn bicep. His commitment to his role was so strong it nearly caused Vergara to think twice about their wedding.
Hello! reports that Manganiello recalled one day when Vergara had been on the set of Magic Mike, “One day, after Sofia witnessed a particularly physically challenging day on set, we got back to my trailer and as soon as the door closed she looked at me and said, ‘If I see you at the gym tomorrow we’re done, I’m going to leave you.’”
6. Australia Has Their Own Channing Tatum
Pretty52 reported on the “real life Magic Mike” also known as Will Parfitt who is London-born, but now currently lives in Australia.
Parfitt has been labeled Australia’s version of Magic Mike because he is the spitting image of Tatum.
Not only do Parfitt’s physical characteristics match up to those of Tatum’s, but he also has a similar background to Tatum, working in a similar profession as highlighted in the Magic Mike movies. Parfitt now works for a company called Magic Men, dancing at parties and other private events.
Not only does he have the perks of looking like Tatum, but Parfitt also makes close to $3,000 in a weekend, says Daily Mail.
“I met a club promoter who started calling me “Channing” as a joke. I didn’t really take him seriously - he was the one who introduced me to Magic Men,” Parfitt told DailyMail.
It’s a job Parfitt said he learned from the ground up. Parfitt started out first as a topless waiter, then moved on to shows. Each show goes about 20-30 minutes and Parfitt charges $220 dollars a session. Since he can do up to 15 shows a weekend during busy season, he could be raking in $3,000 in just two short days.
5. Where were Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike XXL?
Some may have noticed the absence of two characters who were in the first Magic Mike. Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey were written out of the script for Magic Mike XXL, with some of their co-stars saying there wasn’t any specific reasoning behind the decision.
The reasoning behind McConaughey and Pettyfer’s absence from Magic Mike XXL was never completely confirmed, but Joe Manganiello told POPSUGAR, “Plot-wise, it wouldn’t make sense for either one of them to be here.”
Rumors had been flying about why Pettyfer was not asked back, possibly due to the drama he caused on set, but the same reason wouldn’t fit for McConaughey, who hadn’t caused any problems, Bustlereports. It is thought that Pettyfer not being invited back for Magic Mike XXL was not part of the plan because the actor had expressed interest in being a part of the second movie.
It wasn’t confirmed that he was not going to be in the film until he was in San Francisco while the rest of the cast was filming in Georgia, says Bustle. They also went on to tell readers that it’s possible Matthew McConaughey was not in Magic Mike XXL because his schedule was too jammed.
4. People are getting surgery to look like Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum is saving some money by already having what Page Six is calling “Macho Mouth.” People are actually going and hiring plastic surgeons to give them lips and a jaw line like Tatum’s, Page Six calling them “Menjections.” The scientific term for this procedure is aesthetic facial balancing, which involves altering the facial features to make them work together, and in the end, receive results like “Macho Mouth.”
In addition to Tatum, men have mentioned other actor’s lips they want to replicate, including Harry Styles and Brad Pitt, among others.
The procedure involves a series of injections around the mouth and nose of the patient.
The plastic surgeon explains on Page Six how the injections near the patient’s nose are important because of the location’s connection with their lips. Since Tatum’s lower lip overpowers his upper lip, that’s the look that the patient in the video on Page Six is looking to replicate. His before and after pictures prove the procedure to be successful and everything seemed to have worked out pretty well.
Page Six says that in 2017, over 300,000 men received aesthetic facial balancing, proving that Tatum’s features are more than just swooned over, they are replicated.
3. Magic Mike mixes with The Bachelor
Soon after Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan split, Tatum was seen hanging out with Arie Luyendyk Jr. of Bachelor Nation. According to Bustle, US Weekly reported that Tatum’s first public appearance since he and Dewan announced their divorce was at Honda Indy Grand Prix in Birmingham, Alabama on April 22.
Luyendyk shared an Instagram photo of the two at the racetrack captioned, “Such a great dude! Fun meeting @channingtatum and getting to lead the field to green in the @Honda IndyCar.”
Bustle says fans were a little confused about why the two were hanging out, but could see how happy they were in their matching red race suits with smiles stretched across their faces. Tatum shared his own photo, mentioning how he had “done something stupid” as he told Arie’s wife, Lauren, via a video Arie was shooting, and ended up taking a few spins on the rain-soaked track.
“Crazy fast couple laps in the rain!! Thanks @ariejr! And what an incredibly beautiful track Mr. Barber. Can’t wait to come back here and rip some hot laps.”
According to Bustle, fans believe that the choice in post-break up friend was a little strange on Tatum’s behalf, being that Luyendyk had only just reached stability in his own relationship. By the looks of it, the day was fun and something Tatum was in need of.
2. What went down on Live with Kelly and Michael
Everyone already thought Michael Strahan did it all, but no one had seen him dance just yet. It wasn’t until Strahan surprisingly landed a role in Magic Mike XXL that anyone knew how well he could bust a move.
“This is no cameo,” says Lara Spencer on Good Morning America when referring to Strahan’s part in the movie.“This is just a joke, that has turned into a role.” Strahan added, as a clip of him breaking it down on the set of Live With Kelly played in the background.
Strahan and Ripa had been interviewing Channing Tatum about the buzz around Magic Mike XXL, when Strahan got up and showed off some impressive dance moves.
Tatum saw his talent and next thing he knew, Strahan was written into the script.
Strahan tells Good Morning America that every time Tatum asked him if he wanted to be involved he would jokingly say, “yeah, sure.” Well, Tatum didn’t take it as a joke and one day asked Strahan, “are you ready?” Strahan didn’t know what he was talking about asking, “For what? drinks? dinner?” Not exactly what Tatum had in mind.
Manganiello told POPSUGAR, “Michael Strahan was here last week, which was a blast. I think his career is going to be very different [from now on]. It’s going to be kind of pre-Magic Mike and post-Magic Mike for him.”
1. Jada Pinkett Smith’s role was originally written for a man
Jada Pinkett Smith received a phone call offering her the role of the owner of the club in Magic Mike and she wasn’t so sure about it for a few different reasons, says The Baltimore Sun. For one thing, she had never stepped foot in such a club, and for another, this role was written for a man. In order to learn more about the role, Smith held a video call with Channing Tatum and the director, Gregory Jacobs.
Pinkett Smith told The Baltimore Sun she was sold on the role when Tatum said, “Listen, I really think that there’s a level of responsibility and celebration that we can bring to this whole form.” She explained this idea as “radical” and found the point convincing enough to join in on Magic Mike.
The cast say Pinkett Smith as a powerful aspect of the cast and always avoided getting in her way. Pinkett Smith added that she loved to sit back and watch the female extras reactions to the show, saying that they weren’t acting - their reactions were very real.
When commenting on her role as Rome, Pinkett Smith told The Baltimore Sun, “I think that women are becoming less afraid, we need time to really explore that territory.”
What secrets have you uncovered about Magic Mike? Let us know in the comments!
