'Channing was born to play Jeffrey Manchester'

Stars Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst and director Derek Cianfrance on bringing a true story to life with their new movie Roofman, in cinemas now

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n the late Eighties, the American toy store chain Toys “R” Us was a paradise for young children-a haven for play, imagination and escape.

But it was also the unlikely hiding place for convicted spree-robber and former United States Army Reserve soldier Jeffrey Manchester.

For six months, Manchester -portrayed by Channing Tatum in the new crime comedy film Roofman-hid out in a branch of the toy shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, surviving solely on M&M's he took from the store shelves. To take on the role, the 45-year-old Magic Mike star tried to embody Manchester in every way.

He lost a lot of weight to ensure that there was a physical transformation, and he started communicating with Manchester-who is serving the remainder of his 35-year sentence at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina - regularly to get a better understanding of his intentions, fully immersing himself into the role.

"I didn't know what to expect, talking to him," says Tatum, who is also known for his starring roles in the 21 Jump Street and Step Up films.

"Some days, we talked about him; others, we just talked about me. And talking to Jeff was really easy-he kind of takes care of you in the conversations. He controls and helps the process along."

Though Tatum adds: "We're telling the story about a guy that is a liar, a bit of a con man. And he can't really get out of that. But he does have parts of his life he wants out there, because he has a lot of regrets for the hurt he's caused. One of the first things he said to me was, 'I should be in here. I deserve to be in here.' He knows he's done things wrong, and that he's responsible for that."