CHANNING TATUM: 'Paramount pushed me into 'G.I. Joe,' I hate that movie'

In fact, there's one film in particular he wishes could be taken off his filmography - 2009's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra."

At the time, Tatum was just trying to get his foot into Hollywood. He had a small role in "Coach Carter" opposite Samuel L. Jackson, opened eyes with his acting abilities in the indie "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," and long before "Magic Mike" he showed off his moves in the dance movie "Step Up."

But as he told Howard Stern this week, he did not want to do the first project the studio offered him, which was "G.I. Joe."

"Look, I'll be honest, I f------ hate that movie," he told Stern. "I was pushed into doing that movie…They give you the contract and they go, 'Three picture deal, here you go!' And as a young [actor] you're like, 'Oh my God, that sounds amazing, I'm doing that!'"

Tatum said his main reason why he didn't want to do the "G.I. Joe" project was that "the script wasn't any good."

When Stern asked if he had an option to pass on the project, Tatum said, "[There's] no option. 'You're doing this or we're going to sue you.'"

"The Rise of the Cobra" grossed over $300 million worldwide.

Tatum admits he's "lucky and blessed" to have had that success but what it basically led to was "another 'G.I. Joe' script."

He did star in the sequel, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," but the film only grossed around $75 million more worldwide than the first. Even with new additions Bruce Willis and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

According to Tatum in the Stern interview, the calls he got after the success of the first "G.I. Joe" were for more action movies. But he didn't want to be an action star.

This is evident as he's gone on to star in the hit "21 Jump Street" comedy franchise while also taking on dramatic roles like the Oscar-nominated "Foxcatcher."

Listen to Stern and Tatum talk about the "G.I. Joe" experience below. (Warning: NSFW)