George Foreman on How His Biopic Is a 'Miracle' Story (Exclusive)
The movie Big George Foreman is set to hit theatres on April 28 and will tell the story of the boxing legend George Foreman. While most people know the 74-year-old for his George Foreman grills, his life and career have been an interesting and memorable ride. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Foreman who explained what Big George Foreman means to him and gave praise to the actor playing him in the movie.
"It is a good story, but I tell you, that Khris Davis, the actor who played George Foreman, had me pulling for George Foreman," the two-time heavyweight boxing champion exclusively told PopCulture. "He really could act, and he brought out the features. What I was afraid of, I was this muscular guy, and then when I came back, I was this guy who had consumed every McDonald's and Jack in the Box in the world, but I still had to go out and do it, didn't have any excuses. That's what the movie was for me, a realization of what I had done, and it makes you think, it was a miracle."
Foreman is an executive producer on Big George Foreman and revealed the script was something he "had to fight about," he said. "Hollywood wanted to be Hollywood, and I wanted to be George Foreman. And you realize you got to mix a lot of Hollywood if you're going to tell a good story, and they did make a good story, and I didn't understand it until I saw it on film. The art of the pictures, not words, but the art of the screen really made the movie come alive."
The film takes a deep dive into Foreman's career. The first hour takes a look at Foreman's rise to the top of the boxing world from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. In the second hour, the film takes a look at Foreman becoming a preacher and making a major comeback to boxing. Foreman finished his career with a 76-5 record and won the heavyweight championship twice.
"10 years, I thought I was done with boxing," Foreman said when asked about taking 10 years off from competing in the ring (1977-1987). "I'd become a full-time minister at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's all I knew was preaching. I didn't think I'd box again, but yet, I started teaching kids never a punch in anger. I taught them and learned myself that I could be a good professional boxer without anger and the movie tells that story. I was able to go back out there without anger."