Camden native stars as George Forman in new movie 'Big George Foreman'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Camden native and Cheyney University graduate Khris Davis has the leading role in 'Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of The World.'

Davis took the hits to truly embody the boxer: from the ring to church, to a boxing comeback, and to another victory in the business world.

"I didn't know much about Mr. Foreman, other than the fact that he was the 'Grill Guy,'" Davis says, "and the guy who lost to Muhammad Ali."

To study his role, Davis went straight to the source.

"I said, 'I got to meet the guy. He's still here,'" Davis says.

So, Davis set out to meet the icon himself, and he did.

"I wanted to know the subtle nuances that only his family could recognize. I was doing my homework on Mr. Foreman," said Davis.

Davis knows many might not have known Foreman's name, until now.

"The work that went into me getting this opportunity, of course, it's unseen," he says.

He's been putting in that work for decades.

"I was doing theater, taking those buses from Philadelphia to New York City," Davis says, "and never getting a job, never getting a callback. That prepares you for moments like this."

Davis' acting story starts with church skits in Palmyra.

"I went to the performing arts high school in Camden," he says, "and that's where I read my first play, which was 'Othello.'"

Then, he headed to Cheyney University for a degree in theater.

"I spent many years in Philadelphia doing theater," he says, even helping create the Quintessence Theatre Group in Mount Airy.

"I was hitting the pavement there, too, before I ever got my leading role in 'Royale' at the Lincoln Center," he added.

To step into Foreman's many forms, Davis dropped and gained weight during filming.

"In the course of about five weeks, I went from 225 to 275 pounds," he said. "My highest was 285. I ate 7,000 calories a day."

Davis also embodied Foreman's grit.

"I just said 'Yes,'" he said. "I kept showing up. That's it. I didn't know that I would be pushed that far, but I did it. And I survived. And I made it!"

It's the fighting spirit he says he learned here, in Philadelphia.

'Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of The World' is in theaters now.