Having been involved in “She’s the Man” from the beginning, Amanda Bynes had seen elements of the story and characters evolve, but the basic concepts that drew her to the project remained unchanged. “I loved the idea of doing a modern version of ‘Twelfth Night,’ and I especially loved having the chance to play two different characters, with one being a boy. It’s rare that you get to do something like that,” she remarks. “In fact, ‘Tootsie’ is one of my favorite movies—I even had a dog named after Tootsie—so to actually have an opportunity to play this kind of role was really exciting. It was very well written and I loved Andy Fickman. It all seemed too good to be true; I felt grateful to be a part of it.”
“Amanda is a great actress and an incredibly gifted comedienne,” Shuler Donner states. “You believe her—no matter what character she’s playing, she plays it with a wonderful finesse. She can be very physical and she has impeccable timing. She’s really quite amazing.”
With Bynes as Viola, the filmmakers brought together an ensemble cast of relative newcomers, together with several comedy veterans. They consider one of their greatest “finds” to be Channing Tatum, a young actor whose career is decidedly on the rise. Tatum was cast as the object of Viola’s affections, Duke Orsino.
“Yes, Channing—if only he were better looking or a nicer guy or a better athlete... I worry about his future,” Fickman jokes. “Seriously, he wowed everybody when he came in to read, and it was a joy working with him. At one point, we thought we might need a stunt double and a soccer double for the role of Duke, but Channing is a natural athlete. That’s him doing all his own stuff. He gave so much of himself every day. Really, there is something special about him.”
Tatum says that the athleticism of his role was among the film’s biggest draws for him. “I love physical roles because it allows you to bring something else to your character besides what’s written in your lines. It helps put you into character. Playing a jock, you get to be really physical, but playing Duke, I also got to be the exact opposite of a jock.”
Shuler Donner affirms, “There is something unexpectedly soulful about Channing, which was perfect for the part of Duke, because he’s got such a macho look but turns out to be quite sensitive.”
As a girl pretending to be a guy, Viola is put in a unique position to see the sensitive side of Duke when she—as a he—becomes Duke’s roommate at Illyria Prep. Thinking he is confiding in Sebastian, Duke reveals how inept he feels around girls, especially the beautiful Olivia. The problem is that the more Duke talks about Olivia, the more Viola finds herself falling for Duke.
Amanda Bynes admits that having to fall for Channing Tatum as Duke was hardly an acting challenge. “It was not a hard job to pretend I like Channing,” she smiles. “He is definitely easy on the ‘peepers,’ and he is also one of the sweetest guys I know. He was so much fun to work with and just to be around, so it was easy to pretend to have a crush on him. I felt such a bond with him and I know we’ll be friends for a long time.”
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