Channing Tatum talks about the origins of his Gambit accent and 'The Night Before Christmas' wasn't what I expected

Warning, spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

The MCU has a penchant for constantly releasing new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest film to expand the universe is Shawn Levy’s Deadpool and Wolverinewhich broke box office records and quickly became a fan favorite. The film featured a ton of wild cameos, including Channing Tatum's Gambit. The Magic Mike The actor recently spoke about the origins of his Gambit accent, and “The Night Before Christmas” wasn’t what I expected.

Deadpool 3The cast list of was heavily debated before release, including a number of cameos that didn't materialize. But Channing Tatum finally got to play Gambit after his announced solo film was stuck in development hell and ultimately a casualty of Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. His accent in the film was a great running joke, although some people have voiced their own criticisms online. While he appeared The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallonhe talked about his love for the X-Man and said:

I could cry. I could get really emotional. I've been in the industry for 20 years trying to play this character. I was like in third grade, throwing playing cards at my friends in the living room.

That's a long payoff. The Gambit movie never came to fruition, despite Tatum trying so long and hard to play the card-throwing mutant. Even though his role in Deadpool 3It was apparently an emotional journey for the Hateful Eight Actor.

Tatum's accent in Deadpool 3 was played for laughs, Wade Wilson made fun of him and even mentioned a dialect coach. But he has roots in Cajun culture and talked to Fallon about what it was like growing up in Mississippi. And that includes a very unique take on the classic poem “A Visit from St Nicholas” aka “The Night Before Christmas”. He offered:

So, yes, my father is from New Orleans [sic] … I grew up in Mississippi, so everything was about the bayou. People don't really know this, but there aren't a lot of Cajun people in New Orleans; they're more in Lafayette or something. But yeah, that culture, that sound is everywhere there. We always read this book called “The Cajun Night Before Christmas” and it was always like we were playing around while we were reading.

While Tatum’s accent was exaggerated for comedic effect in Deadpool and Wolverinehe really seems to know his stuff, even though there are more people with Gambit's signature Cajun accent. One can only imagine how he would have used that knowledge and accent if he were actually bringing a full-fledged Gambit movie to life.

Nevertheless, he looked great in Deadpool 3and got to do some really cool fight sequences with Gambit's cards. Some fans hope to see him reprise that role in an upcoming Marvel movie, while others are happy with what we got in the movie with Ryan Reynolds.

Deadpool and Wolverine is now in cinemas, followed by Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. Check out the 2025 cinema release dates now to plan your cinema visit next year.