Alex Pettyfer Reveals Channing Tatum Hates Him – And Doesn’t Blame Him

by Chelsea ReganDecember 1, 2015, 6:45 pmNews, News Feed >

Alex Pettyfer recently confirmed rumors that Channing Tatum doesn’t like him – and that he has good reason not to be a fan of his.

Alex Pettyfer On Channing Tatum Drama

Pettyfer, who costarred with Tatum in Magic Mike, candidly admitted that the star doesn’t hold him in high esteem after working with him on the hit film about a troupe of male strippers. “Channing Tatum does not like me — and for many reasons. Many being my own fault,” Pettyfer conceded to Bret Easton Ellis during an interview on his podcast, B.E.E. According to Pettyfer, the bad blood started before the two had even spent some time together, due in part to his reputation as something of a Hollywood bad boy.

“[Tatum] was not sold on me being a part of this film because he looked upon me as being a risk,” Pettyfer admitted, claiming that the main reason he ended up cast in the movie was thanks to director Steven Soderbergh pushing for him. When Pettyfer got to the Magic Mike set, instead of trying to establish a good rapport with Tatum and the other actors, he decided to keep to himself.

“I was scared to speak. I actually did my work and I sat in the corner and listened to music because I had been told anything I did was wrong by my reps. I was very insecure as a human being,” Pettyfer said. “That also gave me a bad rep because everyone was like, ‘Alex doesn’t speak because he thinks he’s better than everyone else.’ That’s not true. I was just generally nervous and scared to be myself. I was in character.”

Pettyfer soured the relationship with Tatum further after failing to pay rent on an apartment he and then-girlfriend Riley Keough rented from one of Tatum’s friends in New York City.

“They asked for the four months rent, which in hand I should have paid there and then. What happened was my cousin passed away, his lungs collapsed and he died … and I was devastated and dealing with family drama and forgot about the situation, which was the apartment,” Pettyfer explained. “And I all the sudden got a very negative email from Channing, rightfully so, saying ‘Don’t f–k my friends. You owe money. Pay the f–king money. Don’t be a clown.'”

Though Pettyfer admits he was “wrong in not paying the rent,” he added that “[Tatum] was just looking for an excuse not to like” him.

While it’s safe to say that Pettyfer and Tatum aren’t going to become friends or even costars again in the near future, the 25-year-old English actor believes that he emerged from the contentious situation with respect for Tatum and some much-needed maturity.

“Channing was actually an incredible influence on me because after this whole situation happened – this was kind of the end of my immaturity and all my experiences put into one – and Steven Soderbergh was a huge part of that as well and I owe my life to that man,” he told Ellis “It was an incredible experience making Magic Mike. I wouldn’t replace it for anything.”