Channing Tatum knows his physical attributes helped steer his early career. It took a little longer for him to realize his intellectual capabilities as he struggled with several learning disabilities while growing up.
"I have never considered myself a very smart person, for a lot of reasons," the "22 Jump Street" star told T Magazine, and revealed that he struggled with A.D.H.D. and dyslexia in school.
"Not having early success on that one path messes with you. You get lumped in classes with kids with autism and Down Syndrome, and you look around and say, 'All right, I'm obviously not like these kids either. So you're kind of nowhere. You're just different."
Tatum thinks the education system is "broken" and wants to see reform for children having the same difficulties he experienced in school. "If we can streamline a multibillion-dollar company, we should be able to help kids who struggle the way I did," he said.
The actor has learned more from people than the classroom or in books. His mother encouraged him to "be a sponge," and he took that to heart when speaking with people about movies, arts and "even fashion."
"I went to New York and did the whole modeling thing, and I just learned everything I could from anybody who knew something I didn't," Tatum said. "I think that's one thing I'm pretty skilled at. I can look at a person and say, 'They've got something that I want up there in their head. I'm going to do my best to get in there and absorb it.'"
Tatum draws on his physical and emotional strengths in his next film "Foxcatcher," based on the true story of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz. He understands the role his body has played in his career and his life.
"I've always negotiated the world very physically, from football to tussling at the playground to taking my clothes off," he said. "My dad's a physical guy. I think that's how I wanted to see myself as a kid, how I won approval, and it's no secret that that's how I got into this business. But over time I've been able to develop other aspects of myself, sort of on-the-job training."
"Foxcatcher" co-stars Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo. The film premieres on Nov. 14.
