Channing Tatum is prepared to tell the whole truth, and he’s only a little nervous. Tatum is the most recent guest in the Jan. 17 iteration of Vanity Fair‘s popular lie-detector series, in which various celebrities must field polygraph tests and answer juicy interview questions simultaneously. Tatum responded to questions about his career and personal life, including a genuine assessment of his stripping skills and his reaction to getting out-danced by Beyoncé herself.
Tatum kicked off his lie-detector test by revealing that he actually got his start as a dancer in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” music video. “I got that job randomly. My friend was going to the audition, I was driving that day, so I just went in and did it,” he recalled. He proceeded to thank the singer for helping to jump-start his career before the questions came in about his stripper past.
The “Magic Mike” star confirmed that (most of) the film is based on his real-life experiences and proceeded to give his honest opinion about his stripping abilities, saying he’s better than both Joe Manganiello and Jennifer Lopez. “Am I a better stripper than her?” he asked, as the interviewer handed him a picture of Lopez. “I’m gonna say yeah. I would go harder if I was stripping against her. I’m just saying. I’m gonna take it to J Lo’s front door.” When it comes to dancing, however, he gave the crown to Beyoncé. “I almost threw my neck out trying to do that move,” he said, reminiscing on his unforgettable “Lip Sync Battle” performance. “Go watch the video, you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
For more truths from Tatum, check out the video above, and find out everything from his embarrassing dad tendencies to his meeting with Sandra Bullock in the principal’s office.