New Muhammad Ali Series Is a Masterclass in Acting

And we got to chat with star Michael Ealy

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One of the best shows to hit streaming this month? Undoubtedly, the first-ever authorized scripted series about boxing icon Muhammad Ali (formerly known as Cassius Clay), The Greatest on Prime Video.

The series follows the rise of Clay (played brilliantly by newcomer Jaalen Best), exploring his family roots and detailing his evolution into Ali, arguably the most famous boxer in history. Best is joined on screen by a powerhouse cast including Omari Hardwick, Dana Gourrier, Kai Parham, Amin Joseph, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Ealy.

Not only is each episode fascinating and fast-paced, but the acting is truly stellar. Scene after scene had me absolutely enthralled, thanks to the acting prowess of Best and company.

After taking in the first episode, I had the good fortune of sitting down with Ealy (who fabulously plays Malcom X in the series) to chat about The Greatest, working with Best and more.

Talking about the new show, Ealy told me, “The show starts off with Cassius Clay. There is no Muhammad Ali when the show starts. And the beautiful thing about the first season is you see the evolution of how he gets the name Muhammad Ali. After his name has changed, now the real journey begins to him becoming the global icon that we’ve all idolized and worshipped.

“It was wonderful to see Cassius Clay, this young kid who wouldn’t take no for an answer, who could diagnose that there were systemic issues that were affecting his community, and it wasn’t fair. And you can understand how later on he was able to stay true to his convictions and believe that what was happening and going to that war was not right. And there were people that disagreed with him at that time, and history proved him right.”

Discussing what it was like working with newcomer Best, Ealy had nothing but glowing things to say. He told me, “Jaalen was absolutely perfect. I don’t say that about a lot of people. He had so many intangible qualities that made him right for the role. It’s uncanny how much he looks like [Clay]. But the work ethic, the dialect work that he did, the boxing work that he did, his energy on set… He was a leader on set. He is very confident in who he is, and and he really tapped into what made Ali great and what made him infectious to other people. And I think Jaalen was probably the most beloved actor on set.”

All eight episodes of The Greatest hit Prime Video on November 4.