It Took Cuba Gooding Jr. a Month to Recover From Playing O.J. Simpson
Over the course of ten episodes, beginning February 2 on FX, Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story) will recreate the story of O.J. Simpson’s trial for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson showcases iconic moments like the infamous white Bronco chase and the not-guilty verdict. The casting of the show has been of interest since the project was announced-David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, John Travolta as Bob Shapiro-but none more than Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson himself. The actor, most recently seen on Comedy Central’s Big Time In Hollywood, FL, invested deeply in the part, so much so that it took over a month for him to disconnect fully from the project. We spoke with Gooding Jr. about embodying Simpson, the mentality of star football players, and whether the series takes a side on Simpson’s guilt.
ESQ: How did this role come to you?
Funnily enough, my agents called me on a normal afternoon and said, “We got an offer for you to star in this film from this guy who’s got a lot of money in Australia. It seems a little weird.” But I was like, “Well, send it anyway.” It was an O.J. Simpson film with the stupidest script ever. And then a week later to the day my agents go, “Ryan Murphy wants to meet with you.” I go, “I’m in! I don’t care if he wants me to talk at his kid’s dinner, I’m in.” They go, “We get it, you want to work with him. But he wants to do a show about O.J. Simpson.” And I laughed out loud.
What did Ryan Murphy see in you that made you right for this particular O.J. project?
What he said is that there’s a likeability about Cuba Gooding Jr. – which is weird to talk about myself in the third person to make that point. But there’s a likeability about my work, not just in the roles that I play but in my relationship with my wife who I’ve been with for a long time, and with my endorsements and stuff like that. There’s arguably a statement to be made about O.J.’s popularity and his likeability, and [Ryan] saw a strong parallel there. But what he wanted to do with this role and this project was to show the decline. So not just his positivity but his negativity. I thought that conversation was really interesting because in my research, not just for O.J. but for Jerry Maguire too, I found similar aspects in the personalities of marquee NFL players.
Like what?
They live above it all. They have this egotistical arrogance largely based on the fact that when they’re young they show this ability that no one around them has. And the handlers around them, be it parents or friends, form this bubble around that talent. After they become these great figures in sports and then their careers start to decline, that bubble opens up. Those athletes still have that star mentality but they don’t have any of the social skills that you and I have. We made a conscious decision to explore that.
When playing an iconic figure how much do you try to physically mimic him?
I do to some degree. What you wind up doing is watching a lot of film, a lot of tape. If you have the person in front of you you’re watching how he talks to other people, how he is when he thinks he’s not being observed. You just formulate certain opinions and then once you get the confidence you build the internal of the character.
How did you specifically get in the headspace for the Bronco chase sequence?
We had so reference materials to pull from. He hadn’t played in a long time. He wasn’t filming anything. He’s going out with this girl, but he’s not happy in any relationship. He’s feeling abandoned. And now’s he being accused of this horrific thing and his ex-wife is dead. He’s been alienated from his support system. It was a very isolating time. You come to this realization that we as human beings aren’t meant to be isolated – we need interaction of other human beings. That Bronco scene represented not only his present state of mind, but what he was looking to become. I’m sure O.J., in that moment in the back seat, thought one of two things: Either he was going to die or he was going to be incarcerated. An athlete goes to their support system when they need something. They go to their huddle. And here you have the clock running and he can’t get to the huddle. It was that desperation and that insanity that I allowed to propel me through. It was a psychosis that I allowed myself to indulge in.
You really felt it?
It’s funny what we have to do as actors to understand something. Our body goes along with it. Our body doesn’t discern. It’s like when you watch a movie and you find yourself crying. It’s because your body think you’re going through that trauma. That’s the gift, that’s the thing, that’s the gift with acting. Once you put yourself in it your body believes it. Everyone keeps asking why I’m so hoarse. It took me a month to get out of the mindset of O.J. But even now still I think it might have done something to my vocal chords. I went to see the doctor and he was like, “I don’t see anything. You’re fine.” But mentally I might have broke a little bit.
Does the show take a stance on whether he was innocent or guilty?
I hope not. Whether he did it or he didn’t do it, he’s still guilty of inappropriate behavior. I’ve said this before, but I believe when he passes away that if we’re allowed to autopsy his brain we’ll find post-concussion syndrome. And it will explain a lot of that irrational violent behavior. All of the markers fit to point to this. And I’m not saying that would say that he would have killed them. It’s some food for thought.
Do you imagine that O.J. will ever see the show?
I don’t think about it. I just don’t. My mom is so emotionally involved, more than anybody else. She was like, “This is going to be healing for O.J. When he sees these episodes he’s going to find redemption.” I’m like, “Mom, just keep watching and call me after it’s done.” You can’t think about that.
