Los Angeles, Feb 12 : Actor Channing Tatum is giving actress Salma Hayek Pinault her props after coming into 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' and taking over the female lead role. "That was the one want for how we are in this story," Tatum told Entertainment Tonight in an interview. "I just really wanted the strongest possible (woman) and she came in (and) actually controlled the whole thing," reports Deadline. Tatum continued: "She came and saved our movie because we had a bunch of men that were trying to tell a story about a woman." Thandie Newton was initially cast opposite Tatum but dropped out of the film due to personal reasons with Hayek Pinault joining in her place. "I went in and, you know what, (it was the) first time I feel like I was really heard, respected and invited," Hayek said. "It was actually very interesting because we would get together and have many very different opinions. It was very interesting to see three different men have such different perspectives. (Although) sometimes they seem like the perspectives of Martians." Hayek Pinault also recently revealed that during the filming of the steamy lap dance scene, she was "nearly killed" by her co-star. "You know, this one part that's not in it where I'm upside down, and my legs had to be somewhere. But upside down, one loses sense of direction, and I didn't do what I was supposed to do, so in the rehearsal, I went like, head down, almost hit my head," she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Hayek continued: "(Tatum) held on to my pants, but I was really concerned because my pants were going away, and I couldn't remember if I had underwear or not in this moment. So, instead of putting my hands to protect my head, I just held onto the pants. He's like, 'Put your hands up,' and I'm like, 'No, no, no, no'." /IANS