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This past weekend, Sony Pictures dropped a treat in theaters that’s been a long time coming for sports movie fans with the official biopic for two-time World Heavyweight Champion, entrepreneur and ordained minister, George Foreman.
With Big George Foreman, the trailblazing life story of a literal living legend in Black culture that started out with nothing in Houston’s Fifth Ward during the 50s and 60s to become a heavyweight boxing champ, Olympic gold medalist and owner of a multimillion-dollar grill empire all comes to life on the big screen.
If you still haven’t made your way out to see the very inspiring film, allow the players that put it all together to convince you by way of our exclusive interviews with writer/director George Tillman Jr., co-star Forest Whitaker, who plays “The Godfather of Boxing” Doc Broadus, and the World Champ himself George Foreman!
RELATED: Review: ‘Big George Foreman’ Is A Theatrical Testament To The Power Of Perseverance
All three men expressed a shared joy in working on the project while also speaking on their individual journeys throughout the production process. Foreman’s job was understandably the biggest of them all, yet he was just happy to be alive in order to see it come to fruition. “‘Boy, I hope I don’t die,” he jokingly told us in reference to surviving long enough to make it to premiere night. Thankfully, as you can see from the red carpet pics above, the Champ’s unwavering faith once again kept him protected.
Source: Paul Archuleta / Getty
Tillman Jr. gave us the breakdown from the perspective of one in charge of arranging it into something worth viewing. Not only does the seasoned director do an impressive job at getting back to writing — his last stint as both director/writer was on the 1997 classic Soul Food — he also had a hand in making sure the music fit each period of Foreman’s life. More on that later!
Whitaker did extensive research as expected, watching docs on Doc and making sure to capture that same synergy he had with Foreman. It’s amazing when you watch it all come together on the screen, which we highly recommend checking out in the very near future.
Watch our exclusive interviews with George Foreman, Forest Whitaker and George Tillman Jr. below, and be sure to go see Big George Foreman right now in theaters:
Exclusive: George Foreman, Forest Whitaker And George Tillman Jr. Break Down The ‘Big George Foreman’ Biopic was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
