Joe Manganiello is known for mainly three things- the True Blood series, his wife Sofia Vergara, and the Magic Mike films. There’s also his fantastic body and everyone surely knows about it. We know that his marriage is rock solid and that HBO’s True Blood show has ended. So that leaves the Magic Mike films.
The actor appeared as Big Dick Richie in the first two films. Fans of the films wanted the hunky star to appear in the third movie as well. Now, the trilogy is complete but Manganiello wasn’t really in the last movie. So why did he opt out of the very last one in the franchise?
Why Didn’t Joe Manganiello Appear In The Third Magic Mike Film?
Joe Manganiello appeared in Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL as Big Dick Richie. However, when he was asked if he would appear in the final film of the trilogy called, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, he refused and instead curtly said, “I’m retired.” This decision might seem mind-boggling, because the three films have earned $350 million on a very low budget.
However, it seems like one of the reasons why Manganiello refused was because of the training that he would have to put his body through to make himself look perfect for the role. In a People magazine interview, the actor said that he goes to the gym six days a week to stay in shape for his career. However, he acknowledged that his body didn’t work the same as it did when he was 33 years old.
As a result, stuntwork has becoming more and more difficult. He said, “It’s different at 43 than it was at 33, but it’s a lot of fun.” Also, in the second film, Manganiello’s character was already part of the last show put on by the Kings of Tampa. So his exclusion from the third movie didn’t feel forced. However, even then, the Deathstroke actor did make a cameo appearance in the final movie.
Joe Manganiello’s Cameo Appearance In The Third Magic Mike Film
In Magic Mike’s Last Dance, Joe Manganiello made a cameo appearance at the very end of the film. When Channing Tatum’s Mike goes on a group video call, we see his old stripping crew. There Big Dick Richie is also seen with a small dog. This probably implies that he has left stripping and instead settled down to have a family.
Also, it looks like Richie is doing well in life and seems to have established himself financially. After all, he is the one who loaned money to Mike for the struggling furniture store. So it looks like Manganiello’s character got the ideal happy ending. As a result, maybe the actor returning in a full-fledged role for the last film would have been disastrous for his character’s arc.
The Magic Mike films are available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: People
