10 Actors Who Had INSANE Careers Before Movies

Of course actors often draw from their own personal experiences when portraying a character, as it allows them to bring a depth and understanding that they may not have been able to channel otherwise. For some, like Jason Statham or Wyatt Russell, this can involve their previous lines of work, but Channing Tatum took this a step further.

Dancing was really what sent Tatum on his rise to stardom. His debut may have come as basketball player Jason Lyle in Coach Carter, but it wasn't until a year later in 2006's Step Up that audiences truly took notice of him.

Then of course, there was the Magic Mike franchise, which was in fact loosely based on Tatum's time spent as a stripper before he became famous. This was something he spent a year of his life doing, and was ultimately channeled into arguably the actor's most famous role.

When Tatum hosted Saturday Night Live in 2012, just a few months before the release of the first film, he incorporated his talents into his monologue, which likely didn't hurt ticket sales when the time came.