Channing Tatum shares rare insight on working with child actor in ‘Josephine'

Channing Tatum may be a Hollywood veteran, but even he admits to feeling nervous on set.

At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival premiere of his new drama Josephine, the actor revealed he was “so scared” to work alongside a first-time child performer, Mason Reeves.

The emotional drama stars Reeves as Josephine, an 8-year-old struggling with behavioral issues after witnessing a traumatic assault in Golden State Park.

Tatum plays her father, Damien, while Gemma Chan portrays her mother, Claire.

Though Damien and Josephine share a close bond, the story explores the tension between them as the young girl lashes out while processing her trauma.

During a post-screening Q&A with writer-director Beth de Araujo, Chan and Reeves, Tatum revealed that his protective instincts made him feel like a concerned parent on set.

“I was more concerned with her not thinking that I was actually mad at her,” he explained. “I was like, ‘You know, I was just acting, right?’”

Reeves, discovered by de Araujo at a San Francisco farmer’s market, quickly proved her confidence.

She drew laughter from the Sundance audience when she recalled Tatum’s repeated reassurances: “He kept asking me about it, and I was like, I’m fine!”

Tatum admitted while laughing, “I was so scared.”

‘Josephine’ had its world premiere on January 23 at Park City’s Eccles Theater,