Channing Tatum
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Channing Tatum danced into the spotlight as a juvenile delinquent in the surprise summer teen hit Step Up. But it was the gritty fall indie A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints that won the Abercrombie & Fitch model-turned-actor critical attention. His intense turn as a headstrong rebel growing up on the streets of 1980s Queens earned the 26-year-old nominations for both Gotham and Independent Spirit awards. ''I always gravitate toward films that move me,'' the Tampa native says. ''It usually happens that those aren't the big movies.'' Tatum's upcoming roles are also edgy and emotional: He plays Ryan Phillippe's best friend in a highly anticipated Iraq war drama from director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry), and a cop in the upcoming Battle in Seattle, which is based on the 1999 World Trade Organization riots. ''I'm a lot more comfortable and at ease with what I'm doing,'' says Tatum, who used to dread auditions. ''You basically say, 'Okay, screw this: If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it.' Then you take the pressure off yourself and have fun.'' — Lindsay Soll