'We don't make those movies anymore': How 'Roofman' defied Hollywood common sense

“We’ve been doing this for a portion now,” laughs Channing Tatum, “and each erstwhile successful a portion a caller happening comes retired I haven’t heard.”

Tatum’s responding to the latest revelation of the property circuit for his caller movie “Roofman”: manager Derek Cianfrance’s assertion that helium was the fastest checker successful Walmart history. (“They gave you a rise if you got 18 rings a minute,” says Cianfrance. “I averaged 350.”)

The point, for Cianfrance, is that the characters astatine the bosom of “Roofman” — good-hearted thief and unauthorized Toys “R” Us tenant Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) and moving parent Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) — are his benignant of people.

And “Roofman,” which successful its themes of idiosyncratic responsibility, assemblage and acceptance holds overmuch successful communal with the enactment of Frank Capra, is his benignant of film. The manager down the 1946 Christmas classical “It’s a Wonderful Life” loomed implicit Cianfrance’s movie from the start. “As we were selling this movie, trying to get it financed, I was pitching it to everyone arsenic a Capra movie and what I kept proceeding is, ‘We don’t marque those movies anymore.’”

Cianfrance ever knew helium wanted “Roofman” to beryllium a Christmas movie, which often features characters rediscovering themselves successful a tiny municipality and magical happenings like, arsenic helium says, “a food shows up with wings.” Or, successful this case, that Manchester — connected the lam aft escaping situation — ends up falling successful emotion with Leigh and being embraced by her household and community.

Tatum arsenic Jeffrey Manchester successful “Roofman.”

(Davi Russo / Paramount Pictures)

“I emotion the populist filmmaker who’s making movies astir regular people,” says Cianfrance. “You ne'er consciousness similar Capra’s ever judging people, oregon being snobby astir the radical he’s making movies about. He’s making movies astir the radical who spell to the movies.” And portion the film’s true-life communicative is surely alien than fiction, Cianfrance avoided turning “Roofman” into Hollywood escapism. Instead, helium says, helium wanted to exemplify his respect for moving people’s dreams and aspirations: “The happening that transformed it for maine was erstwhile Leigh told maine that Jeff was the top escapade of her life, and that she didn’t regret a thing.”

With that successful mind, helium urged the formed to unrecorded their characters’ suburban North Carolina lives. He encouraged histrion Peter Dinklage, who plays the Toys “R” Us store manager, to really negociate the store. Dunst’s Leigh, a caller hire, was fixed an existent occupation interrogation by Dinklage himself. “He would not springiness maine an inch successful that interview,” says Dunst. “I respect him truthful overmuch arsenic an actor, I deliberation I was besides conscionable intimidated by him arsenic well.”

Cianfrance calls the acceptable “an aquarium for actors” — a spot where, to propulsion different Christmas notation helium drops, everyone was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer connected the land of misfit toys. Actors similar Emory Cohen and Juno Temple expanded their characters beyond the page. Cohen, who plays bullied worker Otis, conjured up his character’s emotion for peanut M&M’s, portion Temple, who plays the woman of 1 of Manchester’s friends, saw her quality arsenic a hairdresser.

Even a country wherever the Toys “R” Us is decorated for Thanksgiving gave Cianfrance and accumulation decorator Inbal Weinberg the accidental to statement wherever to person Dunst spot an inflatable turkey. “I was like, we’re gonna fto the actors decide. Kirsten came to set. She got the turkey. And she started to determine wherever it went, and she enactment it wherever my accumulation decorator wanted it,” Cianfrance says. “And Peter Dinklage came retired and was like, ‘No, the turkey goes here.’”

“As we were selling this movie, trying to get it financed, I was pitching it to everyone arsenic a Capra movie and what I kept proceeding is, ‘We don’t marque those movies anymore,’’’ says “Roofman” manager Derek Cianfrance.

(The Tyler Twins / For The Times)

Dunst had been wanting to enactment with the manager since auditioning (unsuccessfully, the brace joke) for his 2016 diagnostic “The Light Between Oceans.” “I would person done this movie without speechmaking immoderate script,” she says. “How helium makes a acceptable — helium wants to seizure each the nuance and the things that marque america humans interesting.”

Tatum concurs. He knew instantly the relation would situation him arsenic a performer. The histrion had heard stories of however Cianfrance worked with performers to get authentic responses, similar giving Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams — playing a joined mates successful 2010 play “Blue Valentine” — contrasting accusation successful scenes to heighten tension.

Dunst recalls a akin infinitesimal connected “Roofman,” wherever Jeff scares Leigh by driving a car excessively accelerated with her and her daughters inside. “Derek held my arms and helium was like, ‘Push against maine arsenic hard arsenic you can,’” she says. “I did that and helium held choky and past we went into the country instantly after. It brought up emotions of being trapped and a feeling similar everything was retired of your power … but that truly helped maine a lot.”

“I lone told [Cianfrance] nary 1 time,” says Tatum, “and that’s erstwhile helium wanted maine to sing.” That mightiness astonishment viewers considering Tatum has an extended nude series wherever Jeff tries to flight from Dinklage’s Mitch — the archetypal clip Dinklage and Tatum met, arsenic it happens.

“[Derek] ever jokes, ‘You work the script,’” says Tatum. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I cognize I work the script. I conscionable assumed you had a program … a blocking plan.” The country itself, which progressive Tatum moving done the artifact store and leaping onto a tiny roof, took 15 takes to execute implicit astir 8 hours. Tatum, Dunst and Cianfrance laughter astir however the manager broached the taxable of keeping Tatum’s nudity tasteful. “He’s like, ‘You privation maine to blur it?’” says Tatum. “I’m like, ‘Don’t blur it. That’s adjacent weirder.’”

As Dunst, Tatum and Cianfrance sermon the production, the speech seems to beryllium arsenic overmuch astir the memories they made connected acceptable arsenic the making of a movie — which underscores Cianfrance’s attack to directing.

“I’ve ever tried to marque definite [the actors] person environments … truthful that they tin person these accidents and surprises. Moments tin hap 1 clip that you can’t replicate, and they go the infinitesimal that you ticker forever. They go immortalized due to the fact that of that.”

It’s capable to marque Frank Capra smile.