Channing Tatum’s new heartwarming crime film, The Roofman, released in October, helps a real-life con artist repair his relationships.
Director Derek Cianfrance — who spent years in talks with con man Jeffrey Manchester.
The actor, who committed several McDonald’s robberies before escaping from prison and lived in Toys R Us during his downfall, revealed at a recent Paramount screening that the film had a huge impact on a torn Manchester family.
“Last month, just two days ago, after the movie came out, I talked to his daughter for about two hours,” Cianfrance revealed. “She kept in touch with Jeff, and she talked to him six times. … In a way, the movie had the effect of reconnecting them, because I think Jeff hadn’t talked to her in 15 years.”
Cianfrance said Manchester’s sister has also been reunited with him.
“Jeff called me a few weeks ago and said, ‘Derek, I’d love to give you a hug,'” he said. “He said, ‘I called my sister and she answered. We talked for about 30 minutes.’ He said, ‘It was like we were in high school together again.’
Before the film began, Cianfrance spent four and a half years talking with the imprisoned robber.
“At the height of our relationship, he called me about four times a week,” Cianfrance said. “It was clear to me that he was very much a family man. . . . His desire was to create a perfect home for his children, but he just couldn’t figure out how to do it. . . . I think he was a little confused about how to be a father. He thought he was confusing being a provider with being someone who gives things rather than time.”
The film follows Mr. Manchester after his escape from prison, holed up at a Toys R Us in North Carolina, where he develops a romantic relationship with one of the store’s employees, a recently divorced mother of two.
Casting director Bonnie Timmerman was also in attendance at the screening of the film, which also stars Cartsen Dunst, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage and LaKeith Stanfield.
In addition to A-list talent, the film also features a cast of real people involved in the story, including several police officers who helped take over Manchester.
