STACK NZ Jul #64

NEWS

EXTRAS

JB Hi-Fi has more than just blockbusters!

A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW Checking out the billboards for Magic Mike XXL , it’s easy to jump to conclusions given the close-up on the bulging underpants and suggestive “Coming Soon” tease.

Peaky Blinders: Series 2 July 3 In the second season of Britain’s answer to Boardwalk Empire , the razor-wielding gangsters set out to conquer London.

R eprising their roles as male strippers in this sequel, Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello adopt their most innocent expressions when STACK asks them to explain the XXL suffix. “The ‘X’ is for all the Xtra stuff that you loved in the first one and then the ‘L’ is for laughter. Lots more laughter,” grins Manganiello. The fact is that before Tatum became a major Hollywood player, he actually did pay his rent as a male stripper, leading him to pitch a version of his own story for the first Magic Mike . Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie became a surprise hit. Equally surprising was how much the guys actually enjoyed playing their stripper roles, reuniting in XXL with original cast-mates Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez. Nobody wants to see a flabby stripper, yet filming on locations in Georgia and South Carolina – known for their high calorific culinary delights – was a form of torture.

“Working out is fun, especially when you can do it with buddies, but it's the dieting that sucks. No cake. But it's really good motivation knowing you’re about to get butt naked in front of thousands of people and

then more than that, because it's going to be on screens all over the world,” says Tatum, who looked to Manganiello to be the cheerleader in the gym. “Joe enjoys working out more than anyone else on this planet.” If one thing really chafed on XXL , it was the thongs. “Right before I have to get in a thong, I ask myself: Why did I want to do this movie again?" notes Tatum. "It doesn’t matter how cool you are on stage – as soon as you get into a thong, it knocks the cool right out of you. I’d hoped we wouldn’t do thongs this time round because most of the actual male revues use boxer briefs or tightie whities.” As proud as he is of his manhood, Manganiello is no fan of the thong either. “I was actually quite angry when I found out, post- Magic Mike , that apparently no-one has worn a thong since the ’80s.” Gill Pringle

It Follows July 29 A teen is stalked by malevolent, shapeshifting entity in one of the best horror flicks of recent years.

Magic Mike XXL is in cinemas on July 9 and reviewed on page 26

Top Five July 29 Chris Rock wrote, directed and stars in this hilarious comedy about a Hollywood star desperate to be taken seriously.

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