Muhammad Ali did not take part in the film at all as he was in the final stages of the degenerative disease (Parkinson's) that ultimately claimed his life.
Clare Lewins had worked on a film about Muhammad Ali for the BBC several years earlier. She had kept in contact with Ali's friend and business manager, Gene Kilroy, in the intervening years and it was through him that she was able to establish relationships with Ali's daughters.
Director Clare Lewins had no desire to do a documentary in a typical linear manner. In fact, her film leapfrogs through time periods in Muhammad Ali's life, concentrating more on the personalities that make up the story rather than when events happened.
Muhammad Ali's daughter, Hana Ali, felt that her father would have approved of Clare Lewins' film, given that it quite clearly shows the generous and fun-loving side of his character.
It took Clare Lewins about a year to gain the trust of Hana Ali. It was through her that she was able to use the tapes of Muhammad Ali talking to his daughters that form the backbone of the film.