The 'Space Jam' actor talks to ET about stepping to the boxing legend's shoes for the new biopic, 'Big George Foreman.'
Actor Khris Davis is stepping into the shoes of former pro boxer George Foreman in the upcoming biopic, Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.
The Judas and the Black Messiah star portrays the boxing legend in the film by director George Tillman Jr., which chronicles Foreman's rise to fame -- from his impoverished and troubled childhood in Houston's Fifth Ward, to his early success at the 1968 Olympics, to when he stunned the world by knocking out Joe Frazier to win his first heavyweight title in 1973. It also covers Foreman's transition away from the boxing ring and the religious epiphany that led him to take on the challenge of spreading the word of God, as well as his return to the ring at age 46, when he became the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
Davis, who acknowledged he was too young to see any of Foreman's fights but was old enough to remember the George Foreman Grill, spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier about playing the iconic sports figure and admitted charting Foreman's ups and downs was an "intense" experience.
"It was intense because he was hated, I would say accidentally, because he was just a young man trying to make his way to do his best and enjoying the incredible opportunities that he was given," the actor said, before referencing one of Foreman's most talked-about moments when he raised an American flag after winning the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, days after his fellow Olympians protested racial discrimination on the medal stand. "And when he raised that flag he was just a kid trying to enjoy the moment and he didn’t know any better and he ended up being villainized for that. But during that trajectory, it was difficult. I wanted to humanize him and just take away that idea of the 'Big Bad Beast' from the '70s and make him a normal person."
The actor, who also starred in Space Jam: A New Legacy opposite LeBron James, shared that the preparation to get into fighting shape to relive Foreman's historic fights was "intense, but exciting." "We trained really hard for it and getting in there and doing the Joe Frazier fight was awesome. Doing the [Muhammad] Ali fight was insane. Even taking the L for the Jimmy Young fight was a lot of fun, and I think audiences are gonna enjoy that," said Davis, who recently starred in Broadway's Death of a Salesman.
Davis specifically singled out Foreman's historic fight against Joe Frazier as being a particular highlight to film. "He was tailor-made for George Foreman because he had those stop-blocks, so it was easy for George Foreman, and it was a miracle for George Foreman," he recalled. "He said it in many interviews and from my experience, learning that fight, watching the fight, studying the fight, it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I got an opportunity to tell that story. To tell his side of the story."
Davis and Foreman spent a few days together in Houston, and the actor confessed he was star-struck during the brief period of time he spent with the former boxer. "I went there to interview him and I'm just staring at him and staring at him and something in my head said, 'Khris, ask him a question,' but I couldn't because it's Mr. Foreman. It's an icon, so I couldn't believe that I was sitting in front of Mr. Foreman listening to talk. It was beautiful, man."
He also met several of Foreman's family members, including his five sons, all famously named George. I met quite a few Georges when I was there, yeah," Davis confirmed. "He wanted his children to have something in common. He didn't have any roots growing up. He couldn't find his roots, so he wanted his children to have something in common growing up."
For Davis, the most interesting thing he learned about the ex-boxer was "how gentle he really was all throughout his life."
"That his anger, his rage, what happened to be that was really him just fighting to be seen, fighting to be respected and fighting to be loved. Trying to find his way," he shared. "And that's what this film is about. It's about him trying to find his way, finding yourself and the power of a second chance."
Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World is in theaters April 28.
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