- 10 hours ago
Amazon MGM Studios pulls back the curtain on its highly anticipated series, The Greatest, chronicling the life of Muhammad Ali. From showrunner and creator Ben Watkins (Cross) and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, alongside Authentic Studios, Roc Nation, Polygram Entertainment, and Grace: A Storytelling Company, the series explores the extraordinary life of Ali both inside and outside the ring. Starring Jaalen Best as Cassius Clay alongside Omari Hardwick, Dana Gourrier, Amin Joseph, Kai Parham, Michael Ealy, and more, the story reveals the man behind the legend. The world remembers an icon, but The Greatest tells the story of a husband, father, brother, and son. Join us for a conversation on the Mainstage which will feature exclusive announcements and an early look at the making of a global icon—and a first glimpse of the greatness to come.
Category
🎈
FunTranscript
00:05the world remembers an icon this next series tells the story of a man brother and son behind
00:13the legend Amazon MGM Studios is pulling back the curtain on the greatest chronicling the
00:19life of Muhammad Ali this segment is brought to you by Amazon live please welcome moderator Kelly
00:30Carter hello hello hello this thing on all right here we go good afternoon essence festival family
00:38how's everybody doing today all right okay um it is such a pleasure to be here with you all on
00:454th
00:45of July as we celebrate an iconic American hero whose story still resonates for so much of us so
00:53many years later today we're getting an exclusive first look at the greatest prime videos upcoming
00:59series about the life of Muhammad Ali this isn't simply the story of the champion we all know it's
01:05the story of Cassius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali the husband the father the son the brother the
01:13activist and ultimately the man whose impact reached far beyond the boxing ring so please help me and
01:20welcoming our incredible panelists Ben Watkins creator and showrunner and EP there we go Dana Gurrier who
01:32plays Odessa Bird Clay there we go Aben Joseph who plays Sonny Liston Kai Parham who plays Rudy Clay
01:50Michael Ely who plays Malcolm X and ladies and gentlemen introducing Jalen Best as Cassius Clay
02:10welcome everybody how are you guys feeling feeling good how y'all doing today
02:18Ben Ben I want to start with you guys if you don't know Ben is the visionary behind another series
02:24that I think you guys probably loved Cross all this Hodge yeah all right we got some Cross fans
02:30out here Cross fans over here what's up fam Ben what made you want to tell this story of Muhammad
02:40Ali and
02:40why now well I mean I think for me it's a childhood since I was a kid this was my
02:47childhood hero so my
02:48whole life there's somebody I looked up to um and as far as right now yeah I think I would
02:54have told
02:55this story whenever I had the chance but I think the world needs it now more than ever because of
03:00everything that he represented yeah and this is a true origin story this is like the first time we're going
03:05to see the soup to nuts what made him right
03:08good afternoon yeah time is now 4 45
03:13okay please wrap up all purchases and find your way to the nearest exit
03:20thank you for supporting Essence Festival of Culture 2026 we hope to see you tomorrow
03:28but before you go before you go yeah no this is going to be the first time where people are
03:34going
03:34to really get a chance to see behind the curtain and see the coming of age story and how Cassius
03:40Clay
03:40became Muhammad Ali as opposed to the thing they've all seen the hero and the icon that they're all used
03:46to seeing absolutely Jalen I'm going to go to you next you know you're surrounded by an incredible cast
03:52and creative team you've got the incredible Ben Watkins as your showrunner and there's a guy named Michael B Jordan
03:59who's your executive producer but at the center of this story you're bringing a young Cassius Clay to life
04:07you know before he became Muhammad Ali what responsibility did you have in getting this right and where did
04:13you start with building that character out yeah I mean it was a a challenging one for sure and a
04:18lot of
04:18responsibility tied to that but I think first the main important thing for me was the amazing cast and
04:24people that I was able to work with who made me feel safe who made me feel supported and this
04:29was
04:29like my family away from my family so it was nice having them and feeling that support but I think
04:34the
04:34responsibility aspect of it you know as a kid we have these moments and these dreams where we write on
04:40paper like oh you know I want to be a superhero when I'm older or I want to make it
04:44to the league or
04:44something of that nature for me it was being a suit up playing with a superhero and Muhammad Ali is
04:50my
04:50superhero so I'm doing that I'm living in my brain that in my dream I love that was there anything
04:56that surprised you about his early life if so what was that um surprising I think it was just amazing
05:02to
05:03see someone be so committed to their faith you know despite what people say and I think that's
05:08something we could take away today it's being committed to our faith um and another thing
05:13specifically was the ability for him to believe in himself and the way he believed in himself and I
05:19think that's something I would give to the younger generation believe in yourself uh so much that it
05:24doesn't matter what people believe because that's always going to trump what anybody opinion is of you
05:29phenomenal answer Dana Queen of New Orleans I'm coming to you next
05:38one thing history often overlooks is the role women played in shaping the lives of extraordinary men
05:44what does this series reveal about that side of Ali's story
05:53you know it's funny whenever I see an athlete in front of a microphone with a trophy next to them
06:01or receiving an accolade nine times out of ten the first person that they're thanking is their mother
06:08yeah uh I think it means that the light we cast on mothers and the women figures in our lives
06:15I think
06:16there needs to be more of it you know it's the schedules kept is the uniform clean do they have
06:22cleats
06:22that fit them you know you want to know about an opponent ask uh a sports figure or athlete's mother
06:29they're going to know all the stats yeah and in my thought process about bird odessa bird clay
06:34I know she knew every stat about any one of his opponents or his for that matter yeah so I
06:41think
06:41it's the moms who are up early and up late going to bed late and you know making sure their
06:46babies are
06:47taken care of I think more light needs to be cast on the women in these figures lives I think
06:52if you
06:52asked Muhammad Ali the champion of the world who the real champions he'd say his mother absolutely
06:56absolutely absolutely Dana I'm going to stay with you I'm going to stay with you because you've been
07:02a professional actor for 15 years and this is the first time you're a series regular in a project
07:11what does it mean for you for that accolade to be for this role in particular
07:17it means everything first of all I feel like Odessa bird clay herself her spirit chose me along with
07:23our fearless leader Ben Watkins and this young man here too when I walked through the door and we
07:27saw each other it was game over you know the chemistry was there the love was there immediately
07:32but to be in my hometown celebrating this with you I went to Ursuline Academy uptown okay I grew up
07:39in
07:39the east y'all so to be here celebrating this with you all is it means everything you know I
07:44didn't get
07:44my screen actors guilt card till I was like 30 and so it felt like I was behind the curve
07:49but you're
07:49never behind the curve you're always right on time so it means everything yeah I love that answer thank
07:55you um Kai I'm coming to you you know I think one thing that is so beautiful about this series
08:02is the brotherhood behind the camera and in front of the camera and I can tell you guys behind the
08:08camera y'all are singing R&B songs and there's secret handshakes and things like that when you guys greet
08:15each other what can you tell me about this brotherhood because it really seems like it
08:20plays a strong role in creating the chemistry that we ultimately see over the course of this series
08:24um I think for me and Jaylen really we were blessed to uh kind of click earlier on so we
08:32met during the
08:33audition process and um we were waiting to do our screen test and it was just me and him they're
08:38talking for about five to ten minutes yeah and we weren't talking anything about the audition we were
08:43talking about oh where'd you get your pants from or what you you know what shoes you got on that
08:48kind of thing and so I think from that moment we really bonded which allowed us to get to set
08:54and
08:55almost not even have to act we just existed with within uh the space of one another and so I
09:00think it
09:00was very very special to uh have that brotherhood on camera and off camera I was gonna say so what
09:06was
09:06the moment where you felt you guys were actually a family was there a particular scene you guys were
09:10working through where you said all right this feels authentic no there wasn't a scene but you
09:15know me and Jaylen did a lot of training together off off camera and so we would spar a little
09:20bit
09:20here and there we were boxing one time Jaylen got me he jabbed me one good time and and I
09:26went to
09:27attack him and he said hey hey hey hey what's you okay what you you're all right and I think
09:31in that
09:31moment realizing that you know he was checking on me as if I was his little brother for real
09:36that moment was like oh this is this is something special yeah oh I love that answer thank you for
09:41that amen amen amen yeah every every great story needs someone who challenges the hero
09:50and Sonny Liston was so much more than an opponent in Ali's story as an actor what did you discover
09:57about him and what do you think audiences will be surprised to learn about him over the course of
10:00the series when I got the audition material for this piece this brother Ben Watkins this man can
10:09write he write his ass off man and um I got this audition material for Sonny Liston and the humanity
10:16just bled off the page um this is an honor it's an honor to play our legends and this this
10:24this production
10:25has so many of our ancestors I'm proud to be a part of this show it's amazing I can't wait
10:33for y'all to
10:33see it and I'm gonna whip Clay's ass I'm gonna whip your ass Clay no no I'm gonna I'm gonna
10:42stay with
10:43you here um because I know you have a lot of a lot of Snowfall fans out there too what
10:47made you say yes
10:48see what made you say yes to this role and where were you in your career when it came to
10:51you
10:52I was coming off of Snowfall and um iconic character with Uncle Jerome big shout out to
10:59the sequel of that show as well but this gave me an opportunity to to literally take the wig off
11:05right it gave me an opportunity to do what I love the most which is step into another character with
11:14the clean slate and um yeah I'm honored I love this cast um the yo the greatest this show is
11:21gonna be
11:21something
11:24Mr. Michael Ely
11:32do you do you guys know this guy is that is that what's happening
11:36you guys seen his work before got it so so far today we've talked about family about rivalry and
11:46about the people who shaped Muhammad Ali's journey Malcolm X was absolutely one of those defining
11:51relationships um in his life what do you hope audiences understand about the impact that these
11:57two men had not just on one another but on America uh I would say um first and foremost it
12:07was an honor
12:08to play Malcolm X and I really do appreciate Ben for calling uh thank you for calling because as I
12:18told
12:18you this was like a dream come true for me as it was for you to to to play uh
12:23to play Muhammad Ali um
12:25one of the things that I got was like on the first day it was abundantly clear
12:32Jalen and I didn't see each other before we sat down as characters that was by design and thank you
12:38for that by the way as well and the minute we sat down and started doing the scene it was
12:44abundantly
12:45clear that this relationship would be more when it comes to Islam more of a um a mentor and a
12:51mentee
12:52type of relationship uh a big brother and a little brother type of relationship and I think that was
12:57I think we were able to accomplish that and I'm quite proud of that because I think mentorship is
13:03key and I think it's important that we continue to mentor each other and shape each other just
13:09backstage I was telling these guys this is your first time on the Essence stage you only get one
13:14time yeah as your first time so cherish this because it's special to be here yeah I love that
13:22we're gonna we're gonna stay with you uh Ely because Malcolm X I mean not afraid to take that on
13:30but but where did you start with him you know um because I can imagine that that wasn't I mean
13:35it was pretty a heady role for you to kind of take on and morph into becoming him so what
13:39did you do
13:40in preparation for becoming Malcolm X for this series um I there was a lot that I did obviously
13:47um but the most effective thing was talking to his daughter okay Ambassador Shabazz and and trying to
13:55understand what kind of man he was um because we all see the icon you know the man who was
14:03the the key
14:03of resistance but who who was he as a father who was he as a husband those were the kind
14:10of things
14:10that I kind of honed in on and tried to bring to the screen as much as possible yeah so
14:16there's
14:17obviously plenty of boxing in the series but ultimately that's not really what this series is
14:23about so I would love to go down the line and ask you guys if the audience has if you
14:28would love for
14:28the audience to have one takeaway from the series other than boxing what would that be and why Ben
14:34let's start with you I think for me it's really important um and in crafting the story what really
14:41landed for me was that Muhammad Ali before he was ever Muhammad Ali was just a kid with fears and
14:50dreams
14:51and obligations and flaws and and so I think I would love for people to understand when they tune
14:59in to watch this story they're not tuning in to see a fully formed icon they're tuning in to see
15:05the first stages of somebody who would become a legend yeah I love that answer Jalen let's go down
15:11to you for that um I would say that whoever at this this tv show is for everybody and regardless
15:21of how much you know about Muhammad Ali anybody can tune in to this show and still fall in love
15:27because it's a story about a beautiful black family and I think that's is important for itself so
15:34this show is for everybody love that Dana you're up next I hope the takeaway is not only the family
15:42life
15:42but also I hope everyone is just inspired with each individual character on this show Sonny Liston is
15:50extraordinary he has an extraordinary story Malcolm X obviously you know I mean uh Kai Parham portrays
15:57Rudy in this exquisite way and so does Jalen as Muhammad the work that everyone the work that Ben poured
16:05into directing writing show running carrying this show it being his brainchild I think everyone will
16:12find connectivity to it I think everyone will get the goosebumps the involuntary goosebumps that you don't
16:17expect expect and I think it's gonna really move people and Jalen's right it is for everyone it's for the
16:23mamas the papas the athletes it's for the ladies it's for everybody and I hope you all watch love I
16:32hope you
16:32all watch yes okay yourself I would say I want loyalty loyalty and a broad spectrum just loyal to your
16:45family loyal to your
16:46beliefs uh loyal to yourself um I think loyalty is the biggest thing that I personally took away from
16:54shooting and just being around this wonderful cast and being a part of the project the power of loyalty
17:00as it spans through any aspect of life so I would say loyalty for sure loyalty that's great amen how
17:05about yourself hey listen I did a lot of push-ups for this role you feel me I got that
17:12shirt off I'm trying
17:13to I'm trying to get some of these Michael Ealy numbers you feel me you know vote for Sonny
17:26love it um Ealy last but not least um I just want to piggyback kind of what on off Ben
17:33said which is when you
17:35meet Cassius Clay he is not a fully formed Muhammad Ali um he's got to get there and the same
17:41thing
17:42holds true for Rudy and what's magical about this script to me was you got to see that they had
17:48courage and curiosity before they became icons do you understand like that is something that they got
17:56from their parents played by Dana and the incomparable Amari Hardwick who's not here right now
18:03yeah he sends his love so yeah he sends his love but as their parents they really did influence these
18:08kids and good or bad whatever you think you know they influenced them but these two guys had a lot
18:16of
18:16courage to do what they did and you get to see that before they became you know the big icons
18:24and then
18:24that obviously they took courage to the next level um by by really believing in their faith and
18:30throwing it on the line okay okay wrap it up I got it
18:46they don't play at Essence Festival I see um thank you guys I beg to differ I'm sorry I beg
18:53to differ
18:54we got five more minutes we got some time we got some time because because before we let you go
19:01of
19:01course we're gonna give you a little special something right yeah Ben I'm gonna let you do the
19:10honors cue it up for us all I can say is we're getting ready to show you the first taste
19:16the teaser
19:17of the greatest and when I when I all I can think about in this moment is three and a
19:24half years ago
19:24when I was sitting in a in an office with Michael B Jordan signing on to this project saying we
19:30about
19:30to take this thing we about to take this obligation we about to take this honor we're gonna take this
19:36inspiration and turn it into something and give it our all and what we got is something magical I hope
19:41when you see this teaser you feel the same way and then it is only up from there because this
19:47show
19:47is truly truly something special amazing let's show it
19:55I'm the fastest I'm the strongest I can't be beat I'm gonna be the youngest heavyweight champion ever
20:08I'm the fastest I can't be beat I'm the fastest I'm the strongest I can't be beat I'm gonna be
20:34the
20:34youngest heavyweight champion ever I'm the best gee you all right now
20:52I mean I don't think I'm alone and tearing up and feeling all the feels about that guys you guys
21:01are about to hear it first you will be able to stream all episodes of the greatest when it premieres
21:09on Prime Video are you ready November 4th we will be sad thank you guys so much for sitting down
21:20and
21:20talking with us we appreciate it so excited for the greatest please guys another round of applause
21:24for this illustrious cast and crew thank you SS Fest we love you thank y'all we love y'all
21:31thank y'all
21:31you
Comments