CheekyChicago

Cheeky's Rachel Gillman and Amanda Seyfried

Actors Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried made a Chicago stop on their whirlwind press tour to promote their new romance movie Dear John. In the film, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, a young couple (John and Savannah) are separated by war and united by love letters. During an interview at the Peninsula, the stars talked with CheekyChicago about first loves, a dream collaboration, and reading Nicholas Sparks books (Channing admitted it).

Cheeky:  You love Nicholas Sparks?

Channing Tatum: Yeah man! I’ve seen his movies. Dear John is the only novel of his I’ve read, but he does a very cathartic thing very, very well.

Cheeky: Do you think the relationship between John and Savannah is relatable or do you think it’s very unique? I’ve never said “I love you” in two weeks before, but it can happen.

CT: I think I’ve thought it and maybe even said it in two weeks. I’m a person where I know exactly what I feel at the very exact moment. I’m never gray, ever. I’m an extremist. I want this, I know that, I love you, I’m not sure about you. I don’t really wait for the jury. I know exactly what I want. I’m not sure how to answer this question. I think it would be both. I think it’s relatable on levels. If you’ve not fallen in love in two weeks it doesn’t matter. Because they just try to make it work and they both make decisions that affect them for life. And I think that’s in every relationship. I think that’s how it’s relatable.

Cheeky: Do you think at the very end, that’s the start of the characters being together?

Amanda Seyfried: When I read the script, I was like ‘these guys get back together, right?’ You should have seen the draft that I saw! Of course it wasn’t tied all up in a bow, but now it is a little bit. And I find it so much better. It’s still ambiguous – it can be whatever you want it to be. It’s open to interpretation. In my mind, when I was shooting the movie, I was always like “they’re definitely getting back together.” However the movie ends, fine, but in my mind, in my imagination, these people are so madly in love with each other that they cannot stay away.

CT: I want to say yes, they end up together. I don’t know if they do. Think about your first love. Do you think you could be with your first love now? Everything that you know now in your life – do you think you could have been with the first love of yours? In the movie they went and had other relationships. Could you reignite it? Are you the same people you fell in love with so long ago? In my head I want to say yes. We went through so many incantations of ending this film. Do we change the ending of the book? Do we do it exactly as it is? I think we played it very hopefully and neutral.

Cheeky: Did you like doing a romance movie?

CT: I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

Cheeky: You’re very charming as a leading man.

Channing Tatum with Rachel

CT: Thank you, thank you very, very much. I’m blushing now. I’ve always been a relationship guy. I believe in love and I think I get that from my mother and my father. They believe in love.

Cheeky: You’ve worked with some amazing people – Diablo Cody, Meryl Streep, Tina Fey – is there a dream person that you’d love to work with?

AS: Baz Luhrmann. I worked with him for a day at the Oscars, but when I met him I thought ‘God, I hope this is not the last time.’ I’m dying, dying, dying to be in The Great Gatsby.

Cheeky: Do you like doing drama or comedy better?

AS: Right now I’d say comedy because I’ve been doing so much drama…but Dear John was just the best experience I’ve had making a movie. I’ve never had so much fun.