Channing Tatum Reacts to Amanda Bynes Saying She Fought For Casting Him in 'She's the Man' (Exclusive)

Bynes recently revealed that she pushed producers to cast a then-unknown Tatum in the 2006 movie.

Channing Tatum has nothing but love for Amanda Bynes

ET's Nischelle Turner spoke with Tatum at the premiere of Magic Mike Live in London on Wednesday, where he responded to Amanda Bynes' recent magazine cover -- and the revelation that she pushed to get him cast in She's the Man. 

"I guess she sort of told me [that she fought for me]. I love her,"  Tatum said of the actress."I'm so happy she's killing it again and just back on the right." 

"She's so talented and so special. She's been doing it... I mean, I think it's so impossible when you start at such a young age to keep perspective. It's tough," he said, referring to Bynes' tough few years, during which she admitted to drug use and suffering from depression. 

"She was just so alive," Tatum recalled of her performance in She's the Man. "You never knew what was going to come out her mouth, she was just on fire... I haven't seen her in so long. I love you, Amanda, and I hope you're doing well."

Twitter went wild over Bynes' recent interview, praising the actress for kickstarting Tatum's career with the 2006 movie. Before then, he had only starred in commercials and smaller film roles. Months later, he starred in Step Up, and the rest is history. 

"I totally fought for Channing [to get cast in] that movie because he wasn't famous yet," Bynes told Paper. "He'd just done a Mountain Dew commercial and I was like, 'This guy's a star -- every girl will love him!' But [the producers] were like, 'He's so much older than all of you!' And I was like, 'It doesn't matter! Trust me!'"

 

While Bynes revealed that she's trying to restart her acting career, Tatum is focused on growing his Magic Mike empire, as he celebrated the show's expansion to the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. 

"Maybe before the end of next year [I'll jump on stage with the guys]," he said. "Look, I love these guys, and when I say we're family, these guys love each other, I love being with them. And at some point, if I ever get in shape again, I want to rock with them one more time."

A couple of people who won't be clamoring for tickets to Tatum's Magic Mike Live special are his mom and sister. "It was weird enough seeing the first movie [with them]," he confessed. "I'm sitting next to my parents and I'm like, 'Oh man, I didn't think this through. This was a horrible idea. 'Guys, you all wanna go get some food?'"

"They didn't come see the show, they've seen enough," he joked. 

See more on Tatum in the video below. 

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