'Don't f**k my friends.' All the Magic Mike behind-the-scenes drama in one place.

It's been almost 13 years since Magic Mike first came to the big screen. 

The franchise is inspired by writer and actor Channing Tatum's own experience as a male stripper. 

What followed behind the hugely successful 2012 film was 2015's Magic Mike XXL and the Magic Mike Live Show.

Now, a new film has just been released in cinemas to round off the story: Magic Mike's Last Dance.

Tatum's character Mike is working as a bartender in Florida following a bad business deal when he meets a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek), who convinces him to return to the stage for what he thinks will be his last hurrah. 

Watch male strippers review Magic Mike XXL. Post continues after video. 

Here's all the behind-the-scenes gossip surrounding the Magic Mike franchise:

Channing Tatum's 'feud' with Thandie Newton. 

A week into filming for Magic Mike's Last Dance it was reported Thandie Newton had "exited" from her leading role. 

The official statement released by Warner Brothers, the studio bankrolling the film, noted that Newton had "made the difficult decision to step away […] to deal with family matters." But sources claimed the pair had actually gotten into a tense feud regarding the infamous Oscar Slap.

"Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set. Thandie Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it’s all over," one crew member told The Sun.

Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum in Magic Mike's Last Dance. Image: Warner Bros.

"They fell out over the debacle at The Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation.

"It was a tense exchange of words, but suddenly it escalated - Channing got into this car and he disappeared."

The insider went on to say it was clear from that moment Newton was "off" Magic Mike's Last Dance.

"People looked at each other and thought, 'Wait, we’re supposed to be filming,'" they explained. "After the row he just went, 'I am not working with her anymore'. Him being a producer, it’s his movie, so she’s off the movie. She’s gone. Everything we’ve shot for the last 11 days has to be reshot with a new cast member."

Executives decided to pause production and re-cast Salma Hayek in Thandie’s role. 

Channing Tatum was a stripper at 18 years old.

Tatum based the franchise on his own experience as a male stripper. The actor was a stripper for eight months when he was 18 years old and living in Tampa. 

"If you're going to do something stupid, do it when you're young," he told Moviefone. Of stripping, he said, "It's not something I'm proud of, but it's not something I'm ashamed of."

Alex Pettyfer and Channing Tatum did not get along on set. 

The two stars didn't get along on the set of Magic Mike, but the issues started long before Pettyfer actually got to set. 

Before filming began, Pettyfer explained that he didn't have the best reputation.

He first raised eyebrows after he called the film industry "a factory" and Los Angeles "socially… disgusting," in a 2011 VMan interview.

"I had a very negative past relating to the things that I had done on movies and promotion of movies," he said on the Bret Easton Ellis' podcast. "Channing Tatum is an extraordinarily smart businessman. I think he probably didn't want to get into a conflict with Steven [the film's director], and so I was cast."

Image: Warner Bros.

Things only got worse when filming began.

"I did my work and then I sat in the corner and listened to music because I’d been told that anything I do was wrong by my reps and I was very insecure as a human being," he explained. "I didn’t speak on the movie [set]. I was scared to speak."

"That also gave me a bad rep because they said, 'Oh Alex thinks he’s f**king better than everybody else because he doesn’t speak to anyone.' And that’s not true. I was genuinely nervous and scared to be myself."

Alex Pettyfer accidentally created an even bigger feud with Channing Tatum off set. 

Pettyfer spent time in New York City while filming Magic Mike. He rented an apartment with his then-girlfriend, from a friend of Tatum. 

However, he vacated quickly when the alleged mould and dust became too much. 

"All of a sudden [I] got a very negative email from Channing, rightfully so, saying, 'Don't f**k my friends. You owe money. Pay the f**king money. Don't be a clown,'" Pettyfer said on the podcast.

Pettyfer explained he intended to pay but forgot when there was a sudden death in the family. Tatum continued to ask for the money and in response, Pettyfer decided he wouldn't pay at all. 

Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike. Image: Warner Bros.

"By the end of it I just basically said, 'F**k them. What is money when life is so much more?' and, 'I'm not dealing with this, and I'm not paying,'" he recalled.

It's been a few years since the drama unfolded and the actor says he's since come to regret the decision.

"I should have just paid. I think he was looking for an excuse to not like me," he admitted. 

Their feud was made even more awkward when Magic Mike reshoots happened a few months later. 

"[Tatum] had already told everyone he didn't like me," Pettyfer said. "And what Channing says goes because he's a movie star. He's incredible. He's done so well for himself."

Listen to this episode of The Spill, Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast. Post continues after audio. 

Alex Pettyfer said he definitely won't be back for another Magic Mike movie. 

If you're praying for a miracle, don't look to Pettyfer. 

While in conversation with ComicBook.com's Daily Distraction host Chris Killian, the actor addressed the question fans wanted to know: will he ever come back to star in a Magic Mike film? 

"He [Adam] will definitely not be popping up," he said. "I've only done one movie in a thong, and I hope to keep it like that." 

However, Pettyfer says he's still very much a fan of the franchise. 

"I think [Steven] Soderbergh – who obviously oversees everything – has done a great job," he said. 

Jada Pinkett Smith's role was originally written for a man. 

When the Girls Trip actor got the call offering her a role as the club owner in Magic Mike, she was hesitant. 

She did not have any experience working in such a club and the role was, quite frankly, written for a man. 

Pinkett Smith was able to sit down with Tatum, The Baltimore Sun reports, and convinced him to change her character. 

"[I said] 'Listen, I really think that there's a level of responsibility and celebration that we can bring to this whole form,'" she recalled.

Jada Pinkett Smith in Magic Mike XXL. Image: Warner Bros.

Joe Manganiello almost said no to his iconic role. 

It's hard to imagine the Magic Mike franchise without Manganiello in it but according to him, there was almost a time when that would have been the case. 

And the reason is that of his shirt (or lack thereof). Literally.

Having spent a lot of time as a shirtless werewolf in True Blood, the actor was nervous Hollywood would typecast him if he did the same thing in Magic Mike.

Joe Manganiello in Magic Mike. Image: Warner Bros.

However, Manganiello said he changed his mind after an unlikely conversation with comedian Chris Rock (who is also his co-star on What To Expect When You're Expecting).

"[I told him] 'I just think dudes are going to hate my guts if I don't put a shirt on soon,'" the actor recalled to the Los Angeles Times. "And Chris was like, 'Guys are going to hate your guts, anyway. Brad Pitt spent 15 years with his shirt off. He's doing fine.'"

Feature Image: Warner Bros/Getty.

This post was published on January 20, 2023 and has since been updated with new information.

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