Channing Tatum Says ‘I Bawled My Eyes Out’ During ‘Josephine’ Sundance Premiere: ‘It Has Made Me Look at the Way I Parent’ My Daughter and ‘How I’m Communicating’

Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” became the first Sundance sensation of 2026 after its world premiere, which brought star Channing Tatum to tears “five, six, seven” times during the screening and ended with the audience at the Eccles Theater on their feet, giving the cast and crew a rousing standing ovation.

The day after the film’s premiere, Tatum joined Araújo and co-stars Gemma Chan and Mason Reeves at the Variety Studio presented by Audible and reflected on his emotional response to watching “Josephine” for the first time.

“One of the scenes that got me, and I wasn’t there for the filming it, is when Josephine is looking through the window and drawing things,” Tatum said. “I bawled my eyes out. It was such a beautiful scene. That was unexpected. There are so many moments in this movie where you think about your own child and your own childhood.”

“Joesphine” stars Tatum and Chan as two parents who struggle to console their young daughter as she grapples with the aftermath of the traumatic event. Araújo wrote and directed the film about a harrowing real-life experience she faced as a child.

“I was blown away by her first film and so lucky that she even sent me the script. Reading it… brave isn’t even the word. It was so bold,” Tatum said. “The swings she was taking with the style. She is really doing it. She is not trying to make a movie, she’s trying to tell a story that’s never been told. I think she did it with this movie.”

“I have a daughter, and it has made me look at myself and the way I parent and what the connection is and how I’m communicating things,” Tatum added. “This movie deals with such hard subjects, but in such a masterfully artful way. I am so proud to be in it.”

“Josephine” premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance and will next screen at the Berlin International Film Festival.