If you walked into the theater expecting just another sports biopic with the cast of Big George Foreman, you probably walked out thinking about something else entirely. It wasn't just the punches. Honestly, it was the faces. The way Khris Davis looked at Forest Whitaker. The eerily quiet moments before the Rumble in the Jungle.
Most people know George Foreman as the guy who sells grills or the heavyweight who came back at 45 to shock the world. But the movie? It’s a character study masquerading as a boxing flick. To make that work, the casting had to be perfect. If you get Muhammad Ali wrong, the whole movie collapses. If the trainer doesn't feel like a father figure, the stakes don't exist.
The Man in the Ring: Khris Davis as George
Khris Davis had a massive job. Huge. He didn't just have to learn how to box; he had to play George Foreman across three decades. That’s not just a wig change.
We’re talking about a guy who starts as a deeply angry, impoverished kid in Houston's Fifth Ward and ends up as a soft-spoken, smiling preacher who happens to hit like a freight train. Davis actually put on the weight. He didn't use a "fat suit" for the older Foreman scenes. He went from 225 pounds to nearly 300 to capture that "heavyweight champion of the world" bulk that defined Foreman’s second career.
What’s wild is how Davis plays the silence. Early George doesn't talk much. He just glares. You’ve seen that glare in old archival footage of the 1970s Foreman. It’s terrifying. Davis nails that transition from a man fueled by pure, unadulterated rage to a man who literally claims he "found God in a locker room."
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Forest Whitaker: The Anchor of the Film
You can’t talk about the cast of Big George Foreman without mentioning Doc Broadus. Played by the legendary Forest Whitaker, Doc is the soul of the story. Whitaker has this way of being intense without ever raising his voice.
Broadus was the guy who saw a street-fighting kid in the Job Corps and told him he could be a champion. He didn't just teach George how to throw a jab; he taught him how to be a man. The chemistry between Whitaker and Davis is the best part of the movie. Period. When George quits boxing to become a preacher, the look of quiet heartbreak on Whitaker’s face says more than any three-page monologue ever could.
The Supporting Players Who Stole the Show
While the big names get the posters, the supporting cast fills in the gaps that make the world feel lived-in.
- Sullivan Jones as Muhammad Ali: Look, playing Ali is a death trap for actors. Usually, it’s just a bad impression. Sullivan Jones manages to capture the "vibe" without doing a caricature. He’s charming, he’s annoying (from George's perspective), and he’s devastatingly fast.
- Jasmine Mathews as Mary Joan: Playing a wife in a sports biopic is often a thankless "don't go back in the ring!" role. But Mathews makes Mary Joan feel like a spiritual partner. She’s the reason George finds the peace he was looking for.
- Sonja Sohn as Nancy Foreman: As George’s mother, Sohn carries the weight of the early poverty scenes. The scene where they share a single burger? It’s gut-wrenching.
Why the Ali Casting Was So Controversial (And Why It Worked)
When the cast of Big George Foreman was first announced, everyone was looking at who would play the opponents. You have Joe Frazier (played by Carlos Takam) and Sonny Liston (played by Cedric Boswell). These are real boxers, by the way. Takam is a heavyweight contender in real life. That’s why the hits look so heavy.
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But Ali is the mountain George couldn't climb. Sullivan Jones plays Ali not as the hero of the world, but as the antagonist of George's life. In this movie, Ali is the guy who breaks George’s spirit in Zaire. It’s a different perspective than we usually get. Usually, Ali is the protagonist. Seeing him through George's eyes—as this loud, unbeatable force—makes the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" sequence feel genuinely tense even though we all know how it ends.
Realism Over Glitz
One thing you’ve probably noticed if you’ve watched the film is that it doesn't look like Creed. It’s grittier. Director George Tillman Jr. wanted the boxing to feel "ugly."
The actors had to deal with a lot of practical effects. When Davis gets hit, he’s really taking some of that impact. The film moves through George's life at a breakneck pace, which some critics hated, but it allows the actors to show the evolution of a human being.
The Evolution of the Cast
- The Young Rebel: Khris Davis playing the 19-year-old Olympic gold medalist.
- The Fallen Giant: The transition after the Ali loss where George loses his identity.
- The Man of Faith: George as a preacher, broke but happy.
- The Comeback King: The 45-year-old George who wins the title for his youth center.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Movie
A lot of folks think the movie is just about the Foreman Grill. It’s not. In fact, the grill is barely a footnote. The movie is about the internal transformation of a man who was once the most feared person on the planet.
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The cast of Big George Foreman had to sell the idea that a man can completely change his DNA. George went from a guy who wouldn't shake hands to a guy who hugged his opponents. If Davis hadn't been able to bridge that gap, the movie would have felt like a lie.
It’s also worth noting the real-life George Foreman was heavily involved. He was on set. He talked to Davis. He made sure the "Doc" Broadus relationship was portrayed with the respect it deserved. That level of authenticity is rare in Hollywood these days.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you haven’t seen it yet, keep an eye on the background actors during the church scenes. Many of the people in those pews were meant to represent the real community George served in Houston. It adds a layer of reality that you don't get with CGI crowds.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the original fights: After seeing the movie, go to YouTube and watch the 1973 Frazier fight and the 1974 Ali fight. You’ll see exactly how much detail the cast put into mimicking the movements.
- Check out Khris Davis’s other work: If you liked his performance, he was incredible in Judas and the Black Messiah. He’s a theater-trained actor, and it shows in his discipline.
- Read "God in My Corner": This is George’s autobiography. It gives a lot of the context that the movie had to skip for time.
The movie isn't just for boxing fans. It's for anyone who's ever been counted out. The cast delivers a story about grace, and honestly, we probably need more of that right now.
Note: This article reflects the cast and production details of the 2023 film "Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World."