George Tillman Jr. is living the dream. The 54-year-old director is known for working on films such as Soul Food, Men of Honor and The Hate U Give, but his new movie, Big George Foreman, is all about the life and career of one of the best boxers of all time. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Tillman about why he wanted to direct the George Foreman biopic.
“I wanted to work on this film because the story’s just… You can’t make this up, man,” Tillman exclusively told PopCulture. “This is a real true story of a young man who was written off at an early age, becoming a heavyweight champion. And then losing it and then winning it 20 years later after changing who he was and having a second chance in life. And along the ride, man, the rollercoaster ride of life, it is so many ups and downs and listening to George telling his story I was on the edge of my seat. And that’s what I felt like I wanted the audience to feel when they watched the movie as well.”
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One could make the argument that Big George Foreman is two films rolled into one. The first hour is all about Foreman’s rise and fall in the boxing world, while the second hour tells the story of his comeback which includes winning the heavyweight title at 45 years old. Tillman believes his movie is like watching two movies because Foreman is split into two people.
“It’s like he completely changed after the Jimmy Young experience. And that’s something that George felt like we really had to get right what he experienced in that locker room,” Tillman said. “Because after he got out of that locker room, it was no more boxing. And as a filmmaker, I was like, ‘Wow, your impressions, the way you see things, the way you experience life is going to feel different. It’s going to look different.’”
“And as a director, I try to give the audience that subjective point of view of what it’s like to walk away and having a brightness in your life, but at any time can that come back? Can that old anger come back? And George was able to hold that down and continue on with his life. And that’s how I wanted to have people experience the film.” Big George Foreman is out in theatres now.
