Channing Tatum went on a road trip with his dying dog.
The ‘Magic Mike’ actor has made his directorial debut with ‘Dog’ – in which he plays an army veteran who has a special bond with a mischievous hound – and he admitted his own relationship with his canine companion was part of the inspiration for the project.
Channing – who has co-directed the movie with Reid Carolin – said: “My dog was dying and so we went on one last road trip together.
“When I came back, I told the boys at the office about the experience and how emotional it was, and that’s really where the story came from.
“We wanted to make it a feel good movie though, and have people enjoy the experience of being in the theatre, because every time we told people we were making a dog movie they were like, ‘Does the dog die? I don’t want to watch the dog die.’ “
Channing also looked to Tom Hanks’ classic canine cop caper ‘Turner & Hooch’ for tips.
He said: “I really enjoyed that film as a kid, it’s tom Hanks and a dog, what’s not to like?
“In terms of acting with the dog, I actually took a lot of inspiration from that movie.”
But some dog films proved to be too much for the star and his eight-year-old daughter Everly, who he has with ex-wife Jenna Dewan.
He added to Empire magazine: “Then 'Benji' was also a big hitter for me.
“I tried to show my daughter that movie and we didn’t make it through, she just cried and cried.
“I was thinking, ‘Man, my parents let me watch this as a child? What’s wrong with my parents?’ “
