Channing Tatum Candidly Addresses ‘Painful’ Divorce From Jenna Dewan

While discussing his next movie, Channing Tatum got candid about his divorce from Jenna Dewan.

His upcoming movie, Roofman, is a crime comedy-drama based on a true story of a veteran-turned-criminal who often broke into stores by breaking through their roofs. He was imprisoned and escaped captivity before hiding out in a Toys “R” Us store in North Carolina for several months.

Tatum has a 12-year-old daughter, Everly, who he raises jointly with Dewan. In a new interview with Variety, he says he was drawn to Roofman in part because the main character has a daughter who he dearly misses, and spoke on relating to the protagonist’s struggles.

“I know for a fact I’m able to understand [the character]. Jenna and I are good now, but it was a painful break to have that fall apart, especially being so young. We tried to keep it together, tried for a year and a half, but we knew it was…” he said, before pausing. “Not to go into all that. It’s in the past. But it’s really tough not to have your daughter half the time. I wish I could just have her all the time.”

He also spoke on moving away from the action roles he’s known for thanks to his daughter. He brought up films of his that he didn’t enjoy making, like G.I. Joe and White House Down, and said he learned a valuable lesson: “Better to have enjoyed doing the movie and thought that the process of making it was worth it. Because you have a kid now, and you had better be able to answer to her, ‘Why weren’t you there?’”