Channing Tatum paid a steep price for perfecting a scene in *Foxcatcher*, risking his eardrum in the process. Sharing the screen with Mark Ruffalo in the 2014 drama, Tatum portrayed Mark Schultz while Ruffalo took on the role of his brother, David Schultz. During his appearance on *Hot Ones*, Tatum recounted the unforgettable moment to host Sean Evans, describing how a single take left him with a lasting injury.
"Mark didn’t mean to f***ing pop my eardrum—he just slapped me," Tatum revealed with a laugh. "I was like, ‘You gotta slap me. Like, I don’t want a half-hearted—just slap the s*** out of me. Really go for it so we can move on.’"
Enter the *Poor Things* actor, who delivered a slap so forceful it ruptured Tatum’s eardrum. "It’s still not the same," Tatum admitted, rubbing his ear. "But I love that it’s from Mark, because he’s like the most beautiful human you could ever meet in the world."
Ruffalo had previously shared his side of the story, joking that hitting Tatum wasn’t difficult because "he’d beaten the s*** out of me so many times." The *Task* actor added, with a playful glint, "He’s got like 30 pounds on me," explaining that when his turn finally came to smack Tatum, he went all in—"‘Came from Alabama,’" he quipped, channeling his inner grit.
*Foxcatcher* is based on the harrowing true story of U.S. Olympic wrestler David Schultz’s murder at the hands of his team sponsor, John du Pont (played by Steve Carell).
As of now, Tatum is gearing up to promote his new film, *Roofman*, co-starring Kristen Dunst, while also looking ahead to his role in *Avengers: Doomsday*, set to release on December 18, 2026.
