Channing Tatum has established himself as one of the most sought after leading men and producers in film. This weekend he reprises his role as police officer Jenko in the highly anticipated comedy 22 Jump Street. This sequel to the successful 21 Jump Street once again teams him up with Jonah Hill, as his police officer partner Schmidt. This time the overgrown adolescents go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don’t have to just crack the case – they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship and become real men.

Tatum, 2012’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ has a long list of credits which includes ‘White House Down,” “Side Effects,” “Dear John,” and “G.I Joe 2: Retaliation.” In 2012 he starred in “Magic Mike,” a film he independently financed and produced which went on to earn over $167 million worldwide.

Coming up in November is the release of Tatum’s Cannes Film Festival award winning “Foxcatcher,” production on the sequel to “Magic Mike,” and a film based on the life of Evel Knievel.

2015 will see the release of “Jupiter Ascending,” written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and co-starring Mila Kunis.

We spoke to Tatum shortly before 22 Jump Street’s  June 13th opening.

HOMBRE: One early joke in 22 Jump Street is that everything will cost twice the original, what made you include this premise as part of the film?
Channing Tatum: When the movie did well on the first go round the studio obviously comes to you saying, ‘So… maybe you can have a script in like month?’ (laughs). They’re looking to do a sequel immediately. We were saying, let’s figure out how to make a good one. We come back to them and the first joke that we pitch is: In the first movie we clowned ourselves because we thought it was lame to make a movie about a TV show into a movie. In the second movie we want to clown ourselves again, but do it on doing a sequel. Sequels are always more expensive and shittier than the first movie. That’s a fun pitch to the studio and have them say, ‘So you want to do something more expensive and shittier…’ (Laughs.)

H: Was it difficult to do do comedy in the original?
CT: When I told Jonah I don’t know how to be funny, I don’t see myself as that; he said, ‘I just want you to be a good actor. Come in and don’t try to be funny, let me worry about knowing what is going to be the funny in the scene.’ I left it up to him. Chris and Phil are great and we just started trudging down the field trying to make a good movie.

H: Did you have to ‘relearn’ being funny after your dramatic turn in “Foxcatcher”?
CT: It’s not relearning. I had to sort of learn how to let go on the first one and just sort of leave it up to the Gods or Chris and Phil (directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord). I had no ego going into it, and I generally don’t on any movie. You just have to step up to the plate and swing as hard as you can and try to keep growing and try to take parts that challenge you in movies that aren’t some derivative version of movies that you’ve done. You want to push yourself and if you keep doing that you will keep getting better work.

H: What is your process in doing comedy?
CT: The way you do it is very different from other movies. Sometimes you just take a run at a line and try it different ways. That’s not generally what you do in drama. So that was weird. I think people are laughing sometimes, but you don’t really know if it’s all gonna come together. It was a form I didn’t understand all that well,

H: Was there much improvisation going on?
CT: These guys are great writers. It’s not like we walked in and started improvising. The writing is really witty and great. It’s not just jokes, there are actually some good characters. They write and we do what’s on the page . We do that a bunch of times until we feel we got it and then teacher blows the whistle and it’s recess time.

H: What’s your motivation when making a film?
CT: I still don’t know why you do it. You just go to work every day. We don’t know how this movie’s gonna do. I work just as hard in movies that don’t work out, that aren’t as good. You just do the things that inspire you and get you up in the morning and hopefully more work out than don’t. I wish I could say there’s something my mom said to me but there wasn’t. You just have to have to want to. Just go at it every day.

H: What made you take these characters to college?
CT: That was in the script. I think they felt it was natural for them to go to college after high school and it could be even crazier than being in high school. If we ever get to make another sequel I don’t know what the natural progression will be.

H: You have such great chemistry with Jonah, how’s your relationship off screen?
CT: I love my little baby Jonah. He’s my sweetie. He’s taken care of me in a lot of ways. I think we’re just really quick friends. He reminds me of a lot of the guys I grew up with. We’ll be kicking it for a long time.

H: With Father’s Day coming up, how does it feel to be a new dad?
CT: Right now for the guy it’s getting really fun because she’s starting to recognize you. The first seven months the man is like a glorified assistant. It’s like a one way street of love and all she wants is the boobie. Anytime the ‘milk truck’ comes in you do not exist. Now its to the point where I love every second of it. It changes you. It changes every decision that you make. Things that before seemed important just don’t anymore. I’m glad I worked really hard before she came into the world and now I’m gonna chill out.

H: Do you fear her college experience after making this film?
CT: Not really. Things might change but I’m gonna have to explain to her that I was a stripper at some point in my life. College is not what I’m worried about.

Channing Tatum with HOMBRE Magazine’s Francisco Romeo celebrate the week’s #1 film, 22 Jump Street