Forest Whitaker (left) and Khris Davis (right) in "Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World." [Source: CNN Entertainment]
To quote one of my favourite DJ Khaled songs, “All I do is win, win, win no matter what.”
In all honesty, I don’t stay winning. I have, however, been on a pretty good streak lately, like when I recently had the opportunity to speak with one of the legendary heavyweight champions of the world.
Depending upon your age, you either know George Foreman for his prowess in the boxing ring or his famed kitchen grills.
Either way, the now 74-year-old Olympic gold medalist and two-time world heavyweight champion is sharing more about his life in the new biopic, “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.”
The film details how Foreman rose from poverty to become a superstar boxer – a rival to Muhammad Ali – as well as a minister and an entrepreneur, and later in life, how he made his return to the ring when many didn’t think he had it in him.
Foreman told me he wasn’t always comfortable with the idea of seeing his life play out on the big screen.
Seeing his struggles growing up poor on-screen moved him to tears, Foreman told me. He shared some regrets amid his reflections, citing the animosity he once felt toward Ali, whom, he said, was interested in becoming friends with long before Foreman could bring himself to end their competitive feud.
Foreman hopes audiences will find inspiration in his personal journey of growth and resilience, he said.
Actor Khris Davis, who portrays Foreman as an adult in the film, told me the role was “one you dream about because you get to flex so many different facets of your capabilities. Your body, your mind, your spirit all get to play a role.”
Netflix may want to stick to giving us binge-worthy content.
There was major hoopla when the streaming giant tried – and failed – to air a live reunion of the latest season of the buzzy dating series, “Love Is Blind.”
For all the talk of cord-cutting, Netflix inadvertently made a strong case for good old-fashioned TV this week, as my colleague Brian Lowry pointed out. The power of love can’t be stopped for long, however. Netflix apologized for the snafu, filmed the reunion and aired it the next day.
