To become Muhammad Ali in 'The Greatest,' Jaalen Best studied his voice, shuffle and punch

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Set us as preferred Jaaleen Best had little knowledge about who Muhammad Ali was as he was growing up in Alexandria, Va.But he recalls how others compared him to the legendary boxer.“There were cousins, people like that who said, ‘Hey, you look like the young Muhammad Ali,’ ” Best said.

“Then there were people when I would be playing a pick-up basketball game who would say, ‘Man, you remind us of a young Ali.’ ”The 28-year-old actor is now a walking encyclopedia of the athlete who is arguably one of the most famous and beloved figures in America.More significantly, he has become Ali.Best stars as Ali in Prime Video’s “The Greatest” which premiered Nov.

4.The eight-episode season differs from most projects centered on Ali, tracing his coming-of-age, when he was known as Cassius Clay before taking on the name which would define his conversion to Muslim.The series dramatizes Ali’s journey from his gold medal victory at the 1960 Rome Olympics to his first world championship battle with Sonny Liston in 1964 when he renounced the name of Clay as a “slave name.” Along the way he would experience triumphs but also formidable odds such as racism in his community and conflicts in his family, including hints of domestic violence.Executive producers of the series include Oscar winner Michael B.

Jordan (“Sinners”) and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation production company.The cast includes Omari Hardwick (“Power”) as Ali’s father Cassius “Cash” Sr., Michael Ealy (“Think Like a Man”) as Malcolm X and Giovanni Ribisi (“American Hostage”) as trainer Angelo Dundee.Best was all smiles during a video call from his home in Hawaii as he sat in front of a wall with a Christmas wreath.

(“One of my favorite times of the year is the holiday season.I start celebrating early here.”)“I look at this as a tremen...