Jenna Dewan Tatum Says ‘Step Up’ Will Be Required Viewing

For the Tatum family, Step Up is more than just a movie. It’s a document, a living record of how Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum came to fall in love, and as far as Jenna is concerned, it’s as monumental an event as the day she married Tatum. In fact, Jenna, who now goes by the name of Dewan Tatum, says the couple’s daughter, Everly, will be “force fed” the film regularly. Ms. Dewan Tatum says her husband Channing agrees that 3-year-old Everly should see the film and be familiar with it, so she can see how she came to be.

Step Up Is An Important Part Of The Tatum Family

Jenna Dewan Tatum told People magazine that she has actually talked to Channing about this and that they both agree Step Up holds an important place in the history of their family. Of course Jenna is hoping Everly will love Step Up as much as her parents and want to see her parents when they were younger and filled with the hope of starting a family, but things may not go exactly according to plan. Ms. Dewan Tatum reveals that, even at 3, Everly is a very independent girl.

“She’s a very free-spirited little kid. She likes to run around and do her own thing,” says the now 35-year-old Step Up actress. “But she loves a tutu and she will put on three or four and go around the house and do little shake moves.”

While Everly does take after Jenna in her appreciation for dance, Tatum’s fans should not expect to see Everly in the spotlight. Ms. Dewan Tatum took her daughter along on a photoshoot, and while things seemed to go okay throughout the day, little Everly let her mom know just what was unacceptable.

“She came to a photo shoot with me and the photographer took a picture of us outside,” Jenna explains. “She let me know that night that she did not like that. She said, ‘Mommy, I’ll go to your photo shoot tomorrow, but I do not want my picture taken.'”

Ms. Dewan Tatum says she didn’t argue. When Everly Tatum makes up her mind about something, that’s it.

“I’m like, ‘Understood. I hear your words. Got it,'” added the Step Up actress.

Jenna Dewan Tatum To Be Featured In A New Modeling Campaign

Danskin is a 125-year-old company that produces active wear with a large portion of their products geared toward women and the dance wear market, so it’s understandable that the company would seek out an attractive and athletically toned woman to help market their products. According to Los Angeles Times, they have found that model in Jenna Dewan Tatum.

It’s no coincidence that modeling for Danskin was something that appealed to Jenna. The actress started out her time in the spotlight as a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson and gained recognition in the dance-related film Step Up. Currently, Jenna and Channing each own their own production companies and are jointly creating a scripted Step Up series for YouTube Red.

Jenna Dewan Tatum also has a dance competition series in the works for NBC. The Step Up actress will be on the show as a judge and mentor to contestants.

Modeling for Danskin has proven more physically challenging than is usually the case with modeling gigs, because the company feels that the best way to market their active wear is by showing the products in action. This means dancing, running, leaping, and performing other dance moves. While Dewan Tatum says she’s happy that there’s a wind machine on set, she also reveals that she’s been enjoying the experience.

“Most photo shoots are a beautiful dress, a natural location and poses,” says Jenna. “Because I am a dancer, they were like, ‘We want you to dance and leap and twirl and bring out all your technical dancing from way back in the day.’ I felt really free and had a blast.”

[Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Target]