As a movie enthusiast who has been following the X-Men saga for over two decades, I must say that Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine was nothing short of a delightful surprise! The Cajun accent, the one-liners, and the intentional loss of dialogue under the thick accent were all reminiscent of the beloved 90s animated series.
Audience members were completely taken aback when actor Channing Tatum showed up on-screen as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. This surprise appearance was one of the most jaw-dropping moments in the movie, and the surprises didn’t end there. Fans were even more astounded (and a bit puzzled) when Tatum started talking in character. You see, Gambit has only made one live-action appearance on the big screen (in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and that version lacked the beloved Cajun accent from the classic 90s animated series. However, Tatum was committed to getting the voice right, and director Shawn Levy has now shared details about the effort put into Gambit’s unique vocal performance.
Levy chatted with Variety following the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine, disclosing the origin of Tatum’s voice in the film. In the comic books, Gambit (also known as Remy Etienne LeBeau) hails from New Orleans and fluently speaks Cajun English and Louisiana French. In his portrayal, Tatum showcased this by delivering amusing one-liners, with the phrase “I’m about to make a name for myself here” gaining popularity online as a meme.
As a devotee, I’d like to share that a significant chunk of humor in the character stemmed from entire dialogues getting obscured beneath the dense accent. Interestingly, Levy has recently disclosed that this was an intentional choice all along. However, Tatum took the vocal performance to unprecedented heights, making it even more amusing. To quote the director directly:
Initially, we penned numerous lines that were bordering on incomprehensible. We included them in our screenplay. However, Channing infused the dialogue with a distinct Cajun and French flair. To this very day, there are some phrases he uses – such as when he spots Hugh drinking his liquor and tosses a card at him, he utters something similar to ‘cooyain-zwah’ – that I can’t decipher the meaning.
In his signature way of breaking the fourth wall and making self-referential jokes, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) playfully mocked Channing Tatum’s accent, following Gambit’s explanation about how he was conceived. One of the movie’s most surprising and hilarious moments came from this joke, which was inspired by the overall mood on set as shared among the cast and crew, according to director Levy. He elaborated:
“When Deadpool repeatedly said, ‘That’s not a word! Who’s your dialect coach… the Minions?’, it made everyone on set laugh out loud. We couldn’t get enough of it.”
Shawn Levy Is Glad Channing Tatum Got Justice for Gambit
It’s no hidden fact that Channing Tatum has long been connected to the character Gambit in the comic book world. He was actually cast for a Gambit movie way back in 2014. However, despite multiple directors meeting with him (including Shawn Levy) and some even leaving the project, the film eventually got put on hold when Disney repurchased the rights to the X-Men characters. The prospect of Channing Tatum appearing in this film was not just a surprise but also a delight for comic book enthusiasts who have been yearning to see him portray the character for quite some time.
In the course of their chat, Levy shared insights about Channing Tatum’s character history with Gambit. The director expressed his delight in Tatum’s portrayal, stating it’s one of his favorites, and he’s happy to have finally offered the actor a well-deserved validation for his long-standing ambition. Levy put it this way:
“I can’t get over how fantastic Channing is as Gambit in this film! His dream of playing this character has spanned a full decade, with nearly a decade of near misses at Fox. In fact, during those years, I was among the 25 directors who met with Channing about directing the Fox Gambit movie, but it never came to fruition. So when we decided to include Gambit in our film, we knew it would be a deeply satisfying moment for Channing.”
Deadpool & Wolverine
is out now in theaters.
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2024-08-07 15:32