Salma Hayek Reveals How Channing Tatum Nearly Killed Her
Salma Hayek revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live how a wardrobe malfunction nearly saw the actress dropped on her head by Channing Tatum.
Salma Hayek says Channing Tatum almost killed while rehearsing for Magic Mike’s Last Dance. The actress made the revelation during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The lap dance stunt required the 56-year-old to be flipped upside down with her co-star holding on to her pants. But she missed her cue while worrying about a wardrobe malfunction.
Salma Hayek recalled practicing with Channing Tatum, saying, “There’s one part that’s not in the film where I’m upside down and my legs had to be somewhere. But upside down, one loses a sense of direction, and I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. So in the rehearsal, I went head down, almost hit my head.”
Salma Hayek explained that Channing Tatum held on to her pants. But she was worried about something else. “I was concerned my pants were going away. And I couldn’t remember if I had underwear or not at this moment,” the Puss in Boots alum said. So instead of using her hands to protect her head, the actress just held onto her pants.
“Everybody came in and kind of took me away from him,” she continued. When asked what went wrong, Salma Hayek told Channing Tatum that he almost killed her. The Mexican-born star had previously told Entertainment Tonight about the difficulties of filming the lap dance scene. “It’s very physically challenging,” she told the publication. “It’s just complicated.”
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, from a script by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike’s Last Dance serves as a sequel to the 2015 film, Magic Mike XXL. It is the third and final installment in the franchise. Along with Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum, the film stars Ayub Khan Din, Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed, Vicki Pepperdine, Gavin Spokes, Caitlin Gerard, Christopher Bencomo, and Nas Ganev.
According to Variety, the story sees Mike fall in love with a passionate socialite named Maxandra Mendoza who encourages him to launch a stripper stage show in London. Magic Mike’s Last Dance, starring Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum, will hit theaters on February 10th. Despite a few near injuries during rehearsals, the pair enjoyed working on the movie together.
During an appearance on Good Morning America, Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum said the process was fun. “We got really lucky that we just like each other,” The Lost City actor said. He explained that getting along so well made it easy to figure out each scene because they are very technical. His co-star added that they had instant chemistry on camera too.
“There was chemistry,” Salma Hayek said about working with Channing Tatum. “You can’t fabricate it.” She said the camera decides which couples work and which don’t. Magic Mike’s Last Dance will be the last time the actor reprises his role as Mike Lane in the franchise. He starred in the first film 10 years ago alongside Matthew McConaughey.
The film series is also inspired by the actor’s real life as an 18-year-old stripper in Florida. But when the film premiered, no one expected it to launch a franchise. “We didn’t have any intention for the movies to be what they became,” Tatum said. “I just wanted to tell a little small story of a tiny experience in my life.” The latest offering will be Salma Hayek’s first appearance in the Channing Tatum-led films.
