Channing Tatum is having one hell of a year! Not only did he deliver to audiences a wild X-Men cameo when he appeared as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, but he’ll also be starring in the highly anticipated film Blink Twice, which is directed by his partner and fiance Zoë Kravitz. The former project spawned a number of memes showcasing the actor’s hilariously over-the-top Cajun accent, and while he didn’t foresee the internet reacting the way it did, there’s another viral moment from his career that he finds even more shocking.
I caught up with the actor to discuss Blink Twice, and when I asked if he knew just how meme-able his now infamous Gambit line, “Woo I’m about to make a name for myself here,” would be, he said this:
I had no idea that was going to be a meme, no. It’s weird what happens in pop culture like that. Same with ‘My Name Is Jeff.’ Like, it’s such a small moment in the movie. It wasn’t even that funny at the table read. It was like, whatever. And all of a sudden, man… I’ve never went through TSA without somebody saying ‘My name is Jeff.’
There are no surprises here. As CinemaBlend’s resident Jeff, folks have often repeated that 22 Jump Street line to me upon our first meeting. It has become so expected in my life that it was something Channig Tatum and I could bond over, as you can see in the clip at the top of this article.
Channing Tatum may not have expected the meme, but that seems like the most obvious criteria for how memes come to be. Just listen to Tatum’s costar Naomi Ackie, in her infinite wisdom, who broke it all down thusly:
It just goes to show you can’t try to be a meme, you’ve just got to be. And if the meme comes, then the meme comes.
It’s a little surprising to me that the 22 Jump Street table read reaction was underwhelming, because the “My Name Is Jeff” scene is objectively hilarious. Channing Tatum was a huge contributor to the success of those films, even improvising some key scenes. They’re so beloved that 23 Jump Street rumors are constantly making the rounds, and us fans can only hope that such a gift will come to fruition. There’s almost no chance you’ve forgotten the scene in question, but just in case, here’s a refresher:
Now, moving on to more current matters: Blink Twice is an absolute blast. Our official Blink Twice review calls it “an unexpectedly cool thriller,” and if you check out my interviews with the cast and first-time director Zoë Kravitz, it becomes obvious how they were able to bring such an infectious energy to the big screen.
You can see Blink Twice in theaters this Friday, August 23! As for news about everything else coming out on the 2024 movies schedule, keep it here at CinemaBlend for the latest news.