Capturing the Essence of a Larger-Than-Life Character: George Tillman Jr. and Frank Baldwin Discuss ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World’
Writer/director George Tillman Jr. and writer Frank Baldwin spoke with Script Magazine about capturing the essence of George Foreman.
Most stellar boxing films, e.g., Rocky (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) deal with triumph of the spirit – an underdog overcomes external and internal obstacles to win, in the ring or in life. Real life boxing figures Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Rocky Marciano all had a superior resilience that not only made them fan favorites but eternal symbols of mental and physical power and strength. The blows they withstood presented them with brushes with severe injury or death, which they laughed in the face of. They proved that boxing is not just physical and mental but also spiritual.
One boxing figure who exemplifies the spiritual component of boxing is George Foreman. Many of today’s youth don’t know about his compelling story. Born in 1949, he comes from humble beginnings in Texas, where boxing became an outlet for his anger. He would eventually go on to become heavyweight champion twice and an Olympic Gold medalist. As a businessman, he became famous for his George Foreman Grill. His is truly an inspirational American story.
On April 28, 2023, Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World hits the big screen. The Sony Pictures Entertainment release has a thumping, dynamic soundtrack replete with hits from the different time periods in the film. Khris Davis is marvelous as Big George. He easily shifts from menacing to goofball, the planes of his face mercurial, yet unyielding. Sullivan Jones has Ali’s swagger down to a science. Sonja Sohn as Nancy Foreman is steadfast in her love for her family and for God. Forest Whitaker unfalteringly channels the loyalty, confidence, and big heart of Doc Broadus.
Writer/director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Men of Honor, Notorious, The Hate U Give) and writer Frank Baldwin (Cold Pursuit, Your Honor, 61st Street) spoke with Script Magazine about capturing the essence of George Foreman.
What are some misconceptions about George that this film dispels?
Frank Baldwin: I think a lot of people think of him as kind of a goofy pitch man...you know, they think about the George Foreman Grill and about how so many of his sons are named George, rather than of him as the deeply spiritual man that he is. With this movie, I think that we chronicle that journey. One way to sum up the theme of the movie is one man's journey from anger to spirituality. I think what sometimes gets lost behind George's wit, humor, and nice guy persona is how hard that struggle was and the spiritual being that he's become, which is central to who he is.
Would you say that prior to his near-death experience, he was an atheist?
George Tillman Jr.: No. He said that he was aware of God very early on. He just didn't believe. He just didn't see it. His mom had a Bible. But he didn't feel like God was in the Fifth Ward in Houston. He had a tough life and used his fists. He didn't believe in anything other than that. It wasn't until things happened in Puerto Rico that he changed his outlook.
I noticed that there wasn't a lot of gratuitous sex or violence in the film. Was that a conscious choice?
George: Yes, it was. The last film I did was The Hate U Give. I liked the idea that a lot of families were able to come out and see that film together. I wanted it to be the same thing in this case. Even though it's a period piece, it takes place from the 60s through the 90s, we tried to make it in such a way that it feels modern. The kids, wives, mothers will enjoy it as well.
How difficult was it to direct the boxing scenes?
George: That was very difficult because Frank and I spent a lot of time talking about each fight and what was important, trying to keep the drama there. What really made it difficult was trying to recreate historical fights that you may see on YouTube or ESPN when they rebroadcast them. Our whole thing was we had to be very technical and authentic to the fights themselves.
Frank: We tried to make sure that we were telling a story within each individual fight that fit into the larger story. Like with the Ali fight, this was the story of how George came to the end of the road with his anger. His anger had always served him in the ring. It served him against Joe Frazier. It served him in his climb. But against Ali, it defeated him because he ran into an opponent who was both smart and spiritual and knew how to use that anger against him.
In the Frazier fight it was can he overcome this raw fear of going up against this really dangerous world champion with his own anger and aggression and everything he'd used up until that point? And it still worked. With the comeback fight when he was fighting Zouski, it was can he learn to fight a new way? He's a different person now. Can he get in the ring and not only survive but win with a pure heart, as opposed to the anger he had before.
You're always working within certain constraints when you're telling a true story. You have to stick to what really happened. But within that, there are ways to craft it to make sure you are still telling your larger story.
Did Foreman ever become as politically involved as Ali?
George: I think Ali became a political force just by following his belief in his spirituality. That was a misunderstanding with George...when he held up the flag at the Olympics. He was just giving thanks to what saved him, which was the Job Corps., which helped kids. I believe he was a man who always followed his personal, spiritual beliefs.
How much input did George have with the project?
George: He came to the set one time. He got in the ring, waved his hand. I was a little nervous because he was actually in that fight and I'm there trying to duplicate it. When Frank and I got involved with the script, there was back and forth with George’s assistant or someone who works closely with him. We got notes on factual things.
In terms of crafting the script, there were two things that were most important. The locker room scene in Puerto Rico and we wanted to make sure we got his mother right in the film.
What are the challenges of writing about someone who's still alive?
Frank: People are rightfully precious about their own lives and how they're depicted. One thing that was very important to George was to preserve the strength of his relationship with Ali. The way that they spoke on the phone almost every day of their lives long after the Rumble in the Jungle was over. It was a seminal fight for both of them for completely different reasons, but it didn't make them enemies. They became great friends. George wanted to make sure we respected that and were mindful of how close they became.
How did this project get started?
George: It was here at Sony for a little while. Then, after The Hate U Give, I saw Tom Rothman, CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. He told me he wanted me to read the script. I knew a lot about George at the time because I’m a boxing fan. I felt like the script needed more work. I met Frank through another script that I read. We talked about working together. When this script came up, he was the first person that I talked to. When we talked, I found out he’d already had an interview about the project. That kind of got us on the same page regarding working on it together.
How long did it take you guys to write that first draft?
Frank: We wrote a lot of drafts! We worked on this for three years. This project was delayed by COVID and by a hurricane in New Orleans.
Since both of you guys have done different types of films, how would you say the beats of a drama differ from those of a comedy?
Frank: The beats of a drama are most important. You can fill in the comedy within scenes. With this script, we were building a serious character study that was dramatic and some of the comedy came naturally from George’s personality because he’s a funny guy. We struck a balance between the dark and light of the story.
Did you guys have a say in the casting?
George: Yes. The main thing was trying to find someone who could play George. We spent three or four weeks trying to find the right George. One day, Khris Davis came in over Zoom, via Mary Vernieu and Betty Mae’s Lindsay Graham. I saw a picture of him playing Jack Johnson at the Lincoln Center. Sony granted us permission to fly him out with a possible Ali, Sullivan Jones. Both of those guys came out for a chemistry test. That was the first time I saw Khris’s size. I realized he could play the younger and older George. He and Sullivan were very dedicated. It took him about a year to prepare for the role.
How did you prepare to shoot the iconic Zaire fight?
George: Frank and I kept going back and forth on how many rounds we wanted to show. Ultimately it was 5 rounds. I wanted to be as authentic as possible. Darrell Foster was our choreographer and boxing coach. He’d worked on Ali with Will Smith. I liked the way that film had a reality to it. I wanted to go a step further and just have those guys really throw punches. We spent time choreographing each round. When D-Day came, the actual day of shooting, it only took three days.
What was the most memorable day on the set?
George: The most memorable day was when Frank came. He has his Hitchcock cameo in it…!
Frank: I really feel like as an actor, I hold the movie together. [laughs]
What did you guys learn working together?
Frank: It was a huge education for me in how to write efficiently and how to boil scenes down to the essence. If your structure is solid, your beats are in the right place, and the emotional story is strong, there’s a lot you can cut away to increase the pace and preserve the power of the story.
George: This was the first time I got back to writing since my first film Soul Food, back in 1997. I really don’t consider myself a writer, but Frank and I had a great system of writing together. It was organic. I learned it’s always great to have someone to do a read-through with.
Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World will be exclusively in Theaters on April 28, 2023.
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Sonya Alexander started off her career training to be a talent agent. She eventually realized she was meant to be on the creative end and has been writing ever since. As a freelance writer she’s written screenplays, covered film, television, music and video games and done academic writing. She’s also been a script reader for over twenty years. She's a member of the African American Film Critics Association and currently resides in Los Angeles.
