Having acted for over 20 years, David Ramsey found huge success in the '90s. Roles in The Nutty Professor, Con Air and A Very Brady Sequel led to his role of a lifetime playing boxing great Muhammad Ali.
On Thursday, August 31st, David Ramsey, star of Ali: An American Hero spoke with fans about playing the legendary fighter and reliving some of the most classic moments in sports history. Here’s what David had to say!
david_ramsey: Hello everybody, thank you for being here, hope you will enjoy the show! And if you don't - I'll knock you out chump!
ilovedavid: Since Ali is such an icon; it must have been difficult decision to take on this role... What factors played into your decision to play him?
david_ramsey: Just that - the challenge of playing him. I was intimidated by the largeness of this icon.
david_ramsey: And I'm still intimidated by it, even after being finished. But that is and was the thrill of playing Ali.
Juniper: Did you get to interview and talk with Muhammad to research how to play him for the movie?
david_ramsey: No, I met his daughters.
david_ramsey: He has nine children.
david_ramsey: All girls but one.
david_ramsey: The gods were truly smiling.
alijunior: What auditioning process did you have to go through to get the role of Muhammad Ali?
david_ramsey: FOX in the infancy of making this biopic was considering LL Cool J and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Go figure.
david_ramsey: And I went in and did my best Ali for them and got the part.
david_ramsey: So I guess it was meant to be.
aliismyhero: How did you prepare for this role?
david_ramsey: Tons and tons and hours and hours of videotapes, books, magazines, manuscripts on Ali, his marriages, his religious values, his personal life and his boxing career.
david_ramsey: And a very good script. And a wonderful director.
GrillingMachine: How much training did it involve?
duck2001: How did you train for this role?
david_ramsey: For the past 8 years I've trained in the martial art made famous by Bruce Lee called Jeet Kunedo. And it helped me with the fluidity necessary to play Ali. Besides that, I trained under a boxer's tutelage for 3 1/2 hours a day, five days a week, for a month and a half before playing this role. Easily the best shape of my life.
Juniper: What are the different types of Martial Arts, and what got you into this particular art form?
david_ramsey: I've always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee, like most people my age were.
david_ramsey: And when I came out to Southern California, the martial arts craze was everywhere, but Bruce's art seemed to fit me the best.
Sunshine: David, your physique is amazing. How often do you work out?
david_ramsey: The physique we got for this show is pretty hard to maintain, because I trained with a world champion kick boxer, Benny the Jet. He trained me as if I was actually going into a heavyweight-boxing match. I still work out, but maintaining that physique is a bit of a stretch.
IMPRETTY: how do boxing and martial arts compare?
david_ramsey: They are both extremely rigid disciplines.
david_ramsey: They compare in the sense that you have to know your body.
david_ramsey: And they both get you to know your body better. They both push you to limitations and they both allow you to reach goals you thought you couldn't. In that way, they're the same.
david_ramsey: Obviously they are different in that in kickboxing you're allowed to kick, boxing you're not.
Ginger: Did you do all your own stunts? And did Ali give you any tips?
Sonny: did you meet the daughter who boxes?
david_ramsey: Ali didn't give me any tips; I got a couple of tips from his first born daughter, Maymay Ali.
david_ramsey: And yes, I did all the boxing sequences, every single hard earned one.
alijunior: What parts of this role, as written, do you think are way off or right on the real Ali?
david_ramsey: Way off, I don't think anything is way off in this movie. I think that the personality of Ali deserves at least a mini series on television. That's the only thing, if I had to mention any regrets or changes that I wish this movie could have had.
david_ramsey: I think that it's right on when it speaks of his religious convictions. He was much more of a religious person than I think people give him credit for.
ilovedavid: Do you feel that you have been under the microscope for this performance, since Ali is such a major idol and hero in the world?
david_ramsey: Absolutely.
david_ramsey: And rightfully so.
david_ramsey: To play Ali, you have to get it right. And to this movie's right, I think we pay him justice. It's not just a movie that's giving tribute. It's a movie telling the story of a real man.
aliismyhero: Have you had any negativity about playing a man who was such a hero to many?
david_ramsey: Sure. There are some people that don't want him played by anyone.
david_ramsey: Like, I guess, Jesus.
david_ramsey: And there are other people that no matter how well you do Ali, you'll never be good enough. And that's OK. In fact, I expect that.
david_ramsey But there are a lot of people that believe in this project. It started with a brilliant script, and there is truly no way we can completely match the enormity of the Ali phenomenon. But what we try to do in this movie is to talk about the things that most people don't know about Ali.
ali_fan_2000: How did the opportunity to play Ali (a legend) come about?
david_ramsey: Good question.
david_ramsey: Back in December of 99 FOX and ABC decided to give a green light to Ali biopics.
david_ramsey: This ensured a race between the two networks to get it on first.
david_ramsey: ABC beat us to the punch, airing their Ali in January of this year. We decided to keep ours and work on it for a long time to get it right. We got it right, and you'll see the difference tonight.
Ginger: Does the movie tackle Ali's political views as well as his personal life?
david_ramsey: Absolutely. Ali sort of unwittingly was thrust into becoming a politician of sorts; I don't think it was his intention. But his political stances were fueled by his religious and moral convictions. And you can't talk about one without talking about the other. So yes.
IMPRETTY: What do you think of Ali's alliance with the Nation of Islam?
david_ramsey: Whatever I and we collectively think of the Nation of Islam, they had a great deal to do with shaping the Ali we came to know. Ali is no longer with the Nation of Islam, though he is still a Muslim.
david_ramsey: I think without the alliance with the Nation, I think we would never have seen the Ali we've come to know.
GoodNewsViewer: Were you a fan of Ali prior to playing this role?
david_ramsey: Like nearly all of America, yes.
david_ramsey: I've been a fan of Ali since I was little. My father and I joke because he still think the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time was Joe Louis. It will always be Ali to me.
GrillingMachine: Did you see the famous matches? Zaire, etc....
david_ramsey: I never saw Ali fight personally. Every piece of research I did in playing Ali had to be drawn from videotapes and books, etc.
david_ramsey: I couldn't draw on any past experience I personally had in seeing an Ali match.
Sonny: Are there any other athletes who combine his dominance in the sport with the same cultural influence?
david_ramsey: Absolutely not.
david_ramsey: And though that has much to do with the energy and persona of Ali, it has a lot to do with the times.
david_ramsey: Ali so happened to be living during the time of the Vietnam War, and the biggest event of the time, the war, so happened to cross paths with the biggest personality of the times. There are not too many things going on now on the world stage that is truly comparable to Vietnam. That's not to say that if there had been no Viet Nam there would have been no Ali.
david_ramsey: But much of who we've come to know as Ali has been defined by the times.
Sonny: How do you think Ali's activism in the 60's would be accepted today?
david_ramsey: Good question.
david_ramsey: There are few black men that would have ever said today what he said then.
david_ramsey: But Ali was a personality that just couldn't be shut down. We see that in his return to the ring after the boxing commission stripped him of his title and any reasonable way to make a living. Ali was a champion when he was six years old and started to box in Louisville, Kentucky.
david_ramsey: So had he been living today, performing the same antics with the same charisma and the same champion attitude that defined him, then I think America would first hate him as it did then, and would ultimately come to love him as it does now.
IMPRETTY: Did Ali set a bad example by starting the trend toward outrageous taunting and "trash talking?"
david_ramsey: There are several arguments for that question.
david_ramsey: I don't think so.
david_ramsey: But maybe. I guess only history will tell us that one.
BoxerFan: Which is more difficult--capturing his personality or being physically convincing in the part?
david_ramsey: Easily his personality was the most difficult to capture.
david_ramsey: He was and is bigger than life.
david_ramsey: In the ring, he truly floated. And though capturing that was difficult, making the audience believe the glint in my eye is the same glint as Ali, was the most difficult.
Juniper: What do you think makes Ali still such an American Hero?
david_ramsey: Because he defined what America should be. He was perhaps our truest living American icon. He stood up for what he believed in. He fought for what he believed in. He championed what he believed in. And that's perhaps America in its purest form.
Randy: David, this movie seems to be exactly like all the other network made "Ali movies", each with a different story of his childhood, his 3 year exile goes by in 3 minutes, we jump to the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, and the last 25 years of his life go by in several minutes. So what makes this movie different from the other ones?
david_ramsey: Good points....There are certain highlights of the man ALi that every biopic will talk about undoubtedly. I think what makes this movie different than the other movies you've seen and will see on Ali, is that this movie endeavors to talk about the things that created the Ali phenomenon.
david_ramsey: It does not just pay tribute to the Ali phenomenon. We discussed his deep alliance with the Nation of Islam, and his rather undefined relationship with Malcolm X. We talk about his little known relationship with his father, Marcellus Clay.
david_ramsey: And his sometimes being unsure of himself. I think these are the things that people can relate to.
david_ramsey: And when they see these qualities in someone as big as Ali, hopefully it will make him more real to all of us.
marilyn: David what values do you share with Ali
david_ramsey: Well, I can relate to being a boy and standing up to my father in his house.
david_ramsey: Like Ali I live to tell about it.
david_ramsey: I can also relate to having a strong moral attitude like Ali did.
david_ramsey: I can relate to questioning the people that I surround myself with.
david_ramsey:And I think all of us can relate to being unsure about our talents.
david_ramsey: These are the things that shaped the man, Mohammed Ali, and these are things that I think all of us can relate to.
tpower: what artist made the music for this movie? Its great!
david_ramsey: It's all original, I couldn't tell you exactly the names.
Juniper: What do you want people to get out of watching this film?
david_ramsey: There undoubtedly will be some people that say , Oh, I knew that about Ali. And there will be others who will say, you didn't say this or that about Ali. We can only do so much in two hours.
david_ramsey: But by the time this movie is done, hopefully you will feel like we paid tribute to an American icon, and you will have a better grip on the humanity this man gained and the struggle that he endured.
BoxerFan: What impact do you think Ali had on the generation of black men growing up watching him?
david_ramsey: He did a tremendous service to all people.
david_ramsey: All over the world. For black men and black people in particular looking for, searching for a clearer identity of themselves during that time, he made black men believe that they, if they really wanted to, that they could do anything.
david_ramsey: He was a champion to black men, not just in the ring, but in the public eye. He told white folks what to do with their championship. And he lived to tell about it. He earned America's respect with dignity.
david_ramsey: And that, to black men, was a tremendous service.
ali_fan: I am an African American male trying to get into "The Business" do you have any advice for a brother? Thanks and congrats on playing a legend
duck2001: How did you get into the acting biz, and do you have any advice for aspiring African American actors?
david_ramsey: First you have to begin studying acting, you have to work at your craft. So if you are not in school or class of some sort to strengthen yourself as an actor, get into one.
david_ramsey: And undoubtedly you will have a teacher in these classes, and they can direct you further.
ali_fan: Personal Question? Do you having trouble finding quality roles as an African American male, I know that a lot of actors get put in a box so to speak, has this been your experience?
david_ramsey: To some degree, but not to a great degree.
david_ramsey: Yes there are problems for African American men finding quality roles. There are also problems with white women over 35 in finding quality roles. But the acting landscape has evolved in some ways with cable and the internet. But there is still a struggle to find the roles. Actors have had to wear many hats of late, like producer, writer and creator.
david_ramsey: So it's still a fight, but it's getting better.
duck2001: I remember you from that show "Good News", do you keep in touch with any of the cast members? And is the show still running on BET?
david_ramsey: I talk to mostly everyone, especially Roz Ryan, who played the character Mrs. Dixon.
david_ramsey: And yes, it is playing on BET, but those are reruns. Hope you enjoy it.
GoodNewsViewer: I used to love that show "Good News" , do you plan on doing anymore sitcoms in the future? And if so what type of role are you looking for?
ali_fan: Do you have any projects coming soon to television or the big screen?
david_ramsey: Coming up this fall, you'll see me in a recurring role on the WB show For Your Love.
GoodNewsViewer: What can we expect to see you in next?
david_ramsey: But there are other things also developing, particularly in film. There is a movie called Pay It Forward, which debuts October 20.
david_ramsey: Starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt.
david_ramsey: Though TV is happening, there are other things going on as well.
Sonny: What was it like to work with an actor like Kevin Spacey?
david_ramsey: Coolest guy on the planet. 'Nuff said.
RockyBalboa: Can you tell us about the upcoming movie?
david_ramsey: It also stars Haley Joel Osment, it's directed by Mimi Leder who also directed Deep Impact.
david_ramsey: And they are already talking Oscar consideration.
david_ramsey: So there you go.
aliismyhero: Do you have any other projects in the works?
duck2001: Are you working on any new projects coming out soon?
david_ramsey: There are a couple of television shows that are possibly in the works, but we'll wait and see how they develop.
ali_fan: As an actor who do you think is the most talented up and coming actor?
david_ramsey: Hmm. He's not so up and coming, he's been around for a couple of years, but I think Edward Norton is probably one of the best young actors on the scene right now.
Ginger: Are there any other artists you look forward to working with?
david_ramsey: I would love to work with all the people every young actor dreams of working with - Rober DeNiro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins.
david_ramsey: Of course, these are the best American film actors we have, and I would love the opportunity. It's coming!
alijunior: What role that you have ever played is your most prized performance? Have you ever played something you thought you deserved an award for?
david_ramsey: The most prized performance I would say would be somewhere between an NBC movie of the week I did where I played a World War II black navy seaman.
david_ramsey: This was a true story.
david_ramsey: And a major historical event - these navy seamen were convicted of mutiny against the US government. The charges were ultimately dropped. But their names were never cleared as being convicts.
david_ramsey: Because of its historical significance that's probably one of the most important roles I've ever played. Next to playing the most recognizable man in the world, Mohammed Ali.
david_ramsey: Have there ever been any roles I feel I deserve an award for? No, but stay tuned!
Ginger: Have you seen the film "When We Were Kings"? How is this movie different from the documentary?
david_ramsey: Yes I've seen it many, many times. This movie differs in the fact that that was a fight movie, it told us a lot about the fighter. And this movie, though it talks bout the fighter, the greatest fighter of all time, it really focuses on the man Ali, and the convictions that made him the icon he is.
lalaland: What would Ali say to the state of Boxing today, with people like Mike Tyson?
david_ramsey: He would shake his head in shame.
david_ramsey: He would say, See, I told you, there will never be another me. And he would be right.
ali_fan_2001: Do you know if Ali has seen your movie yet?
Jaye: David did Ali see a preview of the movie and what did he think
david_ramsey: He will see it tonight with the rest of America.
FloatlikeaButterfly: How exactly does someone like Tyson differ from Ali, do you think?
david_ramsey: Character. Character to Ali was very important. He blasted Floyd Patterson and others for not calling him Mohammed Ali, and insisting on calling him Cassius Clay.
david_ramsey: He blasted America for participating in a war, the Viet Nam war, that he didn't think we belonged in.
david_ramsey: Strength of character was very, very important to Ali and I think that, though Mike Tyson is an awesome fighter, his character may be something to question.
GoodNewsViewer: Have you ever done one of these chats before?
david_ramsey: Sure!
FOXcom_Host: Now we have to say goodnight to David Ramsey!
