Although playing some less-than-bright characters has been good for his bank account, Channing Tatum says being pigeonholed in the same category during his school years did a number on his confidence.
“I have never considered myself a very smart person, for a lot of reasons,” Channing told The New York Times Style Magazine. “Not having early success on that one path messes with you.”
Now 34, Channing was diagnosed with A.D.H.D. and dyslexia as a kid. He was prescribed stimulants, but still performed poorly in school.
“You get lumped in classes with kids with autism and Down Syndrome, and you look around and say, ‘OK, so this is where I’m at,'” Channing said. “Or you get put in the typical classes and you say, ‘All right, I’m obviously not like these kids either.’ So you’re kind of nowhere. You’re just different.”
Even though he didn’t thrive in the classroom, Channing said he was always eager to learn: “My mom said, ‘Be a sponge.’ And so I’ve learned more from people than I have from school or from books.”
The strategy worked well for the actor, who stars alongside Steve Carell in Faxcatcher, which is said to be a top contender for the Academy Award’s Best Picture.
However, for every success story like Channing’s, there are hundreds of other kids who fall through the crack. He said that unfortunate trend will continue until the education system changes.
“The system is broken,” he said. “If we can streamline a multibillion-dollar company, we should be able to help kids who struggle the way I did.”
