Channing Tatum committed to authentic storytelling by engaging directly with Jeffrey Manchester, the real-life figure behind the Roofman character, while preparing for the new film Roofman. The actor and the film’s director and co-writer, Derek Cianfrance, spent hundreds of hours in detailed conversations with Manchester to understand his motivations and experiences.
Manchester, currently incarcerated for his crimes, became known as Roofman after robbing McDonald’s locations through holes cut in their roofs. His extraordinary story includes an escape from prison and secretly living inside a Toys R Us for several months. These elements shaped the film’s narrative, which aims to portray Manchester’s complex humanity.
Building Trust Through Open Dialogue
Tatum emphasized his approach to the interviews, aiming for genuine conversations rather than a one-sided interrogation. He encouraged Manchester to be candid and open during their discussions.
“I want you to just feel free. You can ask me anything. I’m an open book, man. I’ll tell you anything you want to know,”
Tatum recalled telling Manchester. These exchanges gave Tatum insight beyond the headline-grabbing crimes, revealing a multifaceted individual confronting the consequences of his actions.
A Touching Revelation Shapes the Portrayal
The conversations led to a pivotal moment when Manchester shared a profoundly emotional detail about his life, which Tatum described as:
“one of the most heartbreaking things”
he had heard, adding,
“really did inform me about a lot of who he is as a human.”
Tatum reflected on Manchester’s complexity:
“He’s obviously a very, very complex, multidimensional human; I think we all are,”
he explained.
“He’s not the hero. He is not the villain. He’s just a human. He’s made some bad decisions, and he’s very, very aware of that and having to pay the price for that.”
The actor was struck by Manchester’s hope for redemption, particularly his desire to reconnect with his children and become a father figure in their lives.
“I asked him, when he gets out, what are you going to do? And it really just punched me in the gut, man. He’s like, ‘I don’t know if they’ll ever let me, because I’m a felon, but I would love to adopt, and I would love to have a second chance of being a father and not screwing it up this time.'”
Tatum further shared Manchester’s remorse over lost time with his children:
“He really knows. He’s like, ‘The thing that I cheated [my kids] out of is just my actual presence in their life. And I just didn’t understand before this, I had to be taught a lesson, and you can’t take those decisions back.’ He’s dealing with those consequences in that reality, and it’s a hard thing to swallow.”
Challenges in Filming and Prison Restrictions
Derek Cianfrance revealed that he wanted to shoot parts of the film inside Manchester’s prison to capture a deeper sense of reality but was denied access. Manchester is held in a highly secure maximum security facility, largely due to his multiple escape attempts.
“He lives in, or he’s housed in, such a very stringent maximum security prison, probably because he’s broken out of prison so many times,”
Cianfrance explained, noting that Manchester has spent nine years in solitary confinement.
An anecdote shared by Cianfrance highlights Manchester’s longing for small comforts of freedom:
“One time, I said, ‘What do you miss most about the outside world?'”
he recalled.
And he said, ‘An orange.’ And I said, ‘Wait up. What do you mean an orange?’ And he was like, ‘Well, a prisoner 20 years ago made orange wine out of an orange. And the warden basically said no more oranges.’ And so I tried to get him an orange and I couldn’t get him an orange, and I couldn’t bring a film crew in to shoot with him, although I really, really wanted to.”
Uncertain Prospects for Manchester’s Viewing of the Film
As the movie arrives in theaters, questions remain about whether Manchester will have a chance to see the project he helped shape. Derek Cianfrance mentioned Manchester has seen only clips and the film’s poster, expressing excitement about the work.
Tatum expressed his wish that Manchester be able to watch the film despite prison limitations.
“I do know that he does have some device to watch things on, but it’s very limited, and he doesn’t exactly get to pick. I’m hoping and praying that they let him see this movie. I don’t know. I’m pretty sure this movie’s not going to make the prison people happy, more than likely,”
Tatum said with a laugh.
“I hope they give him a second chance to at least see the movie and then hopefully it gives a little perspective on him, and why he did what he did, and maybe it shaves some time off his sentence, but who knows?”
Roofman Cast Includes a Prominent Ensemble
The film’s cast features notable actors such as Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Juno Temple, LaKeith Stanfield, Ben Mendelsohn, and Uzo Aduba, supporting Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Manchester. Roofman is now available in theaters, offering viewers a raw and compelling look at the man behind the headlines and the nuanced story of crime, humanity, and the hope for redemption.
