Forest Whitaker Compares Preparing for Southpaw and Big George Foreman

By Jamie Jirak

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World is being released in theaters this week, and it stars Khris Davis as the titular boxer as well as Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Sonja Sohn, and Forest Whitaker. Whitaker is playing Doc Broadus who is credited for introducing Foreman to boxing before becoming his trainer and mentor. Originally, the role going to be played by Michael K. Williams before his unexpected passing in 2021. If you're familiar with Whitaker's filmography, you know this isn't the first time he's played a boxing trainer. The actor also appeared in Southpaw as Tick Wills in 2015. In honor of Big George Foreman, ComicBook.com had the chance to chat with Whitaker, and the actor talked about the differences between playing a fictional boxing trainer versus one based on a real person.

"You do research a little differently because he's really specific about the person and stuff. In a real-life character, you have to look at the way they speak, the way they move, what their motivations were, and trying to be true to that ... But when you project the character, you do all that work in the imagination side, you know with a not real character. So, in the end, you still kind of build the same sort of pyramid of thoughts for the character," Whitaker explained. 

What Is Big George Foreman About?

Sony Pictures describes  Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World as follows: "Big George Foreman is based on the remarkable true story of one of the greatest comebacks of all time and the transformational power of second chances. Fueled by an impoverished childhood, Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever."

Related:

Is Forest Whitaker Returning To Star Wars?

Last year, Whitaker returned as his Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character, Saw Gerrera, in Disney+'s prequel series, Star Wars: Andor. During his recent interview with ComicBook.com for Big George Foreman, Whitaker revealed that he will appear in the upcoming second season of Andor. Whitaker was asked if it would be safe to say that Saw Gerrera is returning for the second season, and he answered, "Oh yeah, it's safe to say that."

Big George Foreman premieres on April 28th.

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