Did Amanda Bynes Ever Have A Crush On Former Costar Channing Tatum? Here's What We Know
William Shakespeare's works being turned into teen rom-coms was a staple of the 1990s and early aughts. One such movie was 2006's "She's The Man," starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum in the lead roles. The film is a loose retelling of The Bard's "Twelfth Night," where Bynes' character Viola pretends to be her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk). The modernized version of the story sees Viola attending boarding school in Sebastian's place so she can join the boys' soccer team and prove a point to a sexist ex. This subsequently causes her to develop a crush on Tatum's character Duke — although he's crushing on somebody else and doesn't realize his roommate "Sebastian" is actually Viola.
However, did Bynes have a crush on her co-star in real life? There was speculation at the time, but at least one person who worked on the movie wasn't convinced. In a December 2023 E! News interview, director Andy Fickman disclosed that he didn't pick up on anyone having serious feelings on set while also acknowledging, "Everybody had a crush on Channing!" He also discussed how much fun it was working with the cast, sharing, "I think movies where the chemistry is there, you can't fake that chemistry on screen."
Tatum was laying on the compliments during an interview with Bynes
A 2006 interview promoting "She's The Man" displayed some of the aforementioned chemistry between Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. While speaking to Fuse TV's "Daily Download," the "Magic Mike" star showed off his charismatic side by commenting "She's so hot" when his co-star was first brought out. A beaming Bynes replied, "Aww, stop!" As the actors delved into the movie, one of the interviewers teased, "You're not a good looking man, Amanda." However, Tatum once more swooped in with the charm, arguing, "I disagree with that! I think she's a hot man."
Despite those flirty comments, there's no proof that Bynes' dating history included Tatum. Newsweek reported that photographs of them kissing circulated but it's widely assumed that those were taken during filming. It seems like they were just co-stars and friends. Tatum ended up marrying another co-star, Jenna Dewan, after they fell in love while making the dance movie "Step Up," which was also released in 2006. Tatum and Dewan later got divorced. As of writing, Tatum is engaged to Zoë Kravitz, although there are some weird details about their relationship.
Meanwhile Bynes, who was under a conservatorship from 2013 to 2022 and who has dealt with some tragedies in her life, gave some insight into how Tatum was cast in "She's The Man" over a decade after the movie premiered.
Bynes claimed she got Tatum his 'She's The Man' role
During a 2018 chat with Paper magazine, Amanda Bynes detailed her contribution to Channing Tatum's career. "I totally fought for Channing [to get cast in] that movie because he wasn't famous yet," Bynes said. Even when the producers pushed back because of his age, the former Nickelodeon star doubled down on how Tatum was the right choice. Bynes also admitted that seeing herself as a boy in "She's The Man" negatively affected her self-esteem. The actor described it as "a super strange and out-of-body experience," confirming, "It just really put me into a funk."
Later that same month, Tatum spoke highly of his troubled former co-star in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I guess she sort of told me [that she fought for me]," the "22 Jump Street" star said. "I love her. I'm so happy she's killing it again and just back on the right." Tatum also opined that it must be so difficult starting out as a child star and how great she was to work with, sweetly adding, "I haven't seen her in so long. I love you, Amanda, and I hope you're doing well."