Channing Tatum Says Working With Young Co-Star Felt Like Being a ‘Concerned Parent’ at Sundance Premiere

Channing Tatum said working with child actor Mason Reeves on his new drama Josephine often felt like being a “concerned parent,” especially during emotionally intense scenes.

The film had its world premiere on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Reeves, a first-time actress, plays Josephine, an 8-year-old girl who develops behavioral problems after witnessing a brutal sexual assault in Golden Gate Park. Tatum stars as her father, Damien, while Gemma Chan plays her mother, Claire.

In the story, Damien and Josephine share a close bond that becomes strained as Josephine struggles to process her trauma and lashes out emotionally.

Following the screening, Tatum, Chan, Reeves, and writer-director Beth de Araujo took part in a Q&A session. Tatum’s off-screen connection with Reeves was immediately clear when he walked onstage holding her and lifted her into his arms, drawing cheers from the audience.

Asked how they built a believable family dynamic, Tatum credited Reeves for making the process easy.

“It was a lot of fun to play around with her,” Tatum said. “I was more concerned with her not thinking I was actually mad at her. I kept saying, ‘You know I’m just acting, right?’”

Reeves responded confidently, prompting laughter from the audience: “He kept asking me about it, and I was like, ‘I’m fine!’”

“I was so scared,” Tatum added, laughing.

Tatum also revealed that the Sundance premiere was the first time he had seen the completed film. Praising de Araujo as a “master filmmaker,” he said he cried “five, six, seven times” during the screening.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival began Thursday night and runs through February 1. This marks the festival’s final year in Utah before it relocates to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.