How well did the two of you know each other before this?
Dunst: Not at all.
Tatum: She doesn’t remember it, but I had met her at a screening at a producer’s house the one time, and that was for three seconds. That was it. It was Melancholia or something, and we had a conversation.
Dunst: We didn’t have a conversation! You said three seconds!
What did you learn from your real-life counterparts that surprised you?
Tatum: The biggest surprise for me with Jeff was just how unbelievably warm he was. He was warm and charismatic. I have friends that have been in jail and convicts, and you go in and there’s this heaviness and the sadness. I felt very little of that on the phone. He just felt so optimistic—he didn’t feel like he’s been in jail for years and years and years. That takes a mind that is so strong. And he has so many dreams. He has so many wants for himself still. He took care of me on the phone, in a way, rather than me trying to give him something from the outside.
Dunst: I was surprised that there was zero resentment, but that was how she felt: “I fell in love. He took us on this journey and I’m grateful for it.” And I think there’s so much grace.
Tatum: You could feel that if Jeff hadn’t messed up, she would’ve loved him. She still loves him.
Dunst: It’s still there. You can’t erase that. Also she’s a very Christian woman, and there’s a lot of grace in that.
How are your acting styles the same?
Dunst: What you want is honesty, being open, trust. I don’t like when people want to talk about things for a very long time. I’m like, “let’s just do it.” And he’s the same. And we know when it’s not feeling right instinctually, and what we can try. So we are quick communicators.
Tatum: We just met each other really quickly. Wherever the person wants to go, you just try.
Dunst: And if I was like, “why isn’t this working?” You just give each other what they need. And honestly, because we didn’t have a lot of time, there has to be so much infused into these scenes. Sometimes I would say totally different things to Channing than in the scene—not to manipulate or get a reaction, but to just to shake it up, and also just get different feelings. Derek is interested in the minutiae of humans, that blink or that little crook of the lips. He wants human beings – not acting.
Tatum: Because making a movie is so artificial, obviously, but you’re trying to make it feel like real life. Something like feeding your kids and making them go to bed can look like so many different things, depending on the character you’re playing. And what’s exciting about Derek he’ll be like, “now try it like this.”
