Alex Pettyfer, star of I Am Number Four and Magic Mike, is known as one of Hollywood’s bad boys – not in the good way, mind you, in the problematic Lindsay Lohan way.
Pettyfer is known for having a serious attitude problem, (our own Roe McDermott experienced this when she travelled to London to interview him only for him to throw a strop and cancel all interviews.) This attitude has cost him jobs – he was up for the part of Gale in The Hunger Games but the studio didn’t want to risk casting an actor with a reputation for being aggressive and unprofessional.
However, judging by Pettyfer’s recent appearance on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, it seems the 25 year old actor may have matured and gained some self-awareness. The actor rveleaded that his Magic Mike co-star Channing Tatum didn’t want Pettyfer in the film, because of Pettyfer’s reputation. Tatum, a co-financier on the film, lobbied director Steven Soderbergh hard to get him off the movie. Soderbergh thought he was perfect the role, however, and cast him over Tatum’s objections. Tatum’s fears were soon realised.
“Channing Tatum does not like me, and for many reasons,” Pettyfer told Ellis. “Many being my own fault.” Pettyfer was unfriendly and sullen on set, though he explained it was because he was insecure, because his reps had told him that he shouldn’t talk because everything he said was horrible. But then he cemented his position in Tatum’s bad books by moving into Tatum’s friend’s apartment during filming. However, he had to move out after a week because he was allergic to mold and dust. When he left, the owners asked him for the four months’ rent that he had agreed to sublet the apartment.
“I should have paid it, there and then,” said Pettyfer. "What happened was my cousin passed away. His lung collapsed and he threw up and choked and died in his sleep, and I forgot about the situation with the apartment. All of a sudden, I got a very negative email from Channing, rightfully so, saying ‘Don’t fuck my friends. You owe money. Pay the fucking money. Don’t be a clown.’”
“I really took that the wrong way, and I shouldn’t have. I emailed him back and saying, ‘Listen, I’m in a very negative situation, a negative headspace. Can you respect me for a moment, and blah blah blah.’”
“And I just got hounded, during this time of grieving, for money, and by the end of it, I just basically said, ‘Fuck them. What is money when life is so much more and I’m not dealing with this and I’m not paying.’”
“And I should’ve paid. I think he was looking for an excuse to not like me … [but] I was wrong in not paying. From that point, we went on to reshoots, and he’d already told everyone he didn’t like me and, what Channing says goes. He is a movie star. He’s incredible and he’s done so well for himself.”
“I am thankful for what happened,” Pettyfer continued. “It was me who made the poor decisions, not him. I made the poor decisions … so for me, I totally understand.”
Whether Pettyfer’s newfound self-awareness will start translating into film roles again remains to be seen.