Actress Robin Givens says she does not want to be a part of Jamie Foxx’s upcoming Mike Tyson movie and says she was “disturbed” by the content in her ex-husband’s book.
Foxx is bulking up and preparing to star as one of the greatest boxers of our time, Mike Tyson, in a new upcoming biopic entitled “Iron Mike.” With most biographical pieces, the people involved in the subject’s life are often portrayed in the project. For Robin Givens, who divorced Tyson in 1989 after just eight months, it’s a concern. Givens and Tyson repeatedly had a tumultuous relationship filled with abuse from Tyson’s end and allegations that Givens only married Tyson for his wealth.
While no evidence proves Givens intentionally married him for his millions, Tyson did reveal how he would abuse Givens in his book “Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson.” The book was written by Tyson’s friend Jose Torres, and it was released the same year the two parted ways, The Sun reports. “It was when I fought Robin in Steve Lott’s apartment. She really offended me, and I went BAM. She flew backwards, hitting every wall in the apartment,” the book read. “That was the best punch I’ve ever thrown in my entire life,” Tyson said in the book. He also went on to call Givens and her mother “the slime of the slime” and called them “mean and vindictive.”
The film will be directed by #MartinScorese; he and Foxx both hope the film will provide some clarity to Tyson’s life and show that “everybody evolves.” However, Givens doesn’t want to be mentioned in the movie whatsoever. During an appearance at Sirius XM, the actress said, “That was not a fun ex for me.” She continued, “I had a good friend of mine [who] went and got the book that he wrote. I was reading it, and there were so many things that are so not true that it’s hard not to feel deeply disturbed by it,” Givens said. “So, in a way, I hope I’m stronger because of this, but it’s a little upsetting.” She added, “That’s going to be a tough one for me,” she said, adding, “To hear someone say, ‘The best punch I ever threw was against Robin, and she bounced from one wall to the next and was out.'” Lastly, she said, “I’m literally praying that we’re in a climate where that’s not acceptable.”
Scorsese is hoping that telling Tyson’s complicated life will help people understand his story, Foxx said. “Martin Scorsese, who hasn’t done a boxing film since “Raging Bull,” has agreed to take on the helm. We want to show everybody evolves. Everybody comes from a good or bad place,” said Foxx adding,” I think when we lay the layers on Mike Tyson in this story, I think everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey and the way we’ll place it.”
