Casting Lab: Characters or Caricatures?

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm a big NO on Idris Elba playing the role.  I love Idris, I worship Idris, but he's all WRONG for it, in my opinion.  It's not because he doesn't have the skill for it, because he does.  It's not because he can't do an American accent, because he can.  But he's just wrong, wrong, wrong!  His face, his looks, his demeanor, his acting style, I just can't reconcile it.

 

Billy Brown from HTGAWM is my secret lover BTW.....

 

I'm liking a lot of these suggestions for OJ.  Morris, Keith, Harry Lennix, all interesting.

 

Obviously Sarah Paulson is doing a great job, but you know who I think who could seriously embody Marcia Clark, is Laurie Metcalf.  She is not young enough for the part though unfortunately.  In real life they are very similar in age!  Marcia also kind of looks like Susan Surandon.  

 

How about Harry Simmons?  Too beautiful?  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005431/

How about Jesse L. Martin?  Too smiley.  LOL!  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552509/?ref_=nv_sr_1  But the hairline is perfect!

 

I feel bad that everyone is talking like Cuba is ugly or something.  I find Cuba way more attractive than O.J., but there is no way I can see O.J. as handsome only ever knowing him as a murderer.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[psychoticstate]

Ms. Blue Jay, I love Jesse L. Martin.  Sigh.

 

The show is surviving Gooding. He's not phoning it in, and and he is fitfully tapping into Simpson's narcissism and childishness, but that's all. He's just wrong, physically and often tonally. If he had qualifications for this beyond being a famous name, black, and best remembered for winning an Oscar for playing a football phenom in this story's mid-1990s era, I'm missing them.

 

 

Watching the Bronco "chase" scenes did make me wonder if MJW could have played Simpson.  He certainly demonstrated some rage.  That said, I don't find Gooding bad in the role and I very much agree that he's capturing the narcissism and childishness of Simpson perfectly.  I do think that he's playing it a bit restrained and maybe that's hurting it for some.  If Cuba had played this as he had played Rod Tidwell - - loud, aggressive, over the top - - I think he would have nailed it. 

 

This is going back to the first post on the first page but I wouldn't assume that Cuba is Tom Cruise's height based on that picture.  Cruise is well known to wear lifts in his shoes so for this picture, Cruise may have clocked in at 5'10" with help from those lifts. 

 

I think everyone agrees that Sarah Paulson is knocking it out of the park as Marcia Clark.  I hate to admit that I was weary of her after all the AHS appearances but she's absolutely the right choice here.

 

Sterling K. Brown and David Schwimmer -- David Schwimmer! - - are breaking my heart.

[FozzyBear]

Ms. Blue Jay, I love Jesse L. Martin. Sigh.

Watching the Bronco "chase" scenes did make me wonder if MJW could have played Simpson. He certainly demonstrated some rage. That said, I don't find Gooding bad in the role and I very much agree that he's capturing the narcissism and childishness of Simpson perfectly. I do think that he's playing it a bit restrained and maybe that's hurting it for some. If Cuba had played this as he had played Rod Tidwell - - loud, aggressive, over the top - - I think he would have nailed it.

This is going back to the first post on the first page but I wouldn't assume that Cuba is Tom Cruise's height based on that picture. Cruise is well known to wear lifts in his shoes so for this picture, Cruise may have clocked in at 5'10" with help from those lifts.

I think everyone agrees that Sarah Paulson is knocking it out of the park as Marcia Clark. I hate to admit that I was weary of her after all the AHS appearances but she's absolutely the right choice here.

Sterling K. Brown and David Schwimmer -- David Schwimmer! - - are breaking my heart.

Oh my god, Schwimmer! He is just killing it as someone slowly realizing that someone they love is a monster and not having a clue what to do about it. I know RK isn't the most sympathetic figure in history, but I can't even begin to imagine how you process that. I'm trying to imagine how I would feel if I had to accept the fact that my best friend is a cold blooded murder. I think DS is just nailing the many stages of grief OJ's loved ones had to go through to accept what really happened.

[Umbelina]

 

David Schwimmer is 6'1"

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeryl-brunner/david-schwimmer-shares-hi_b_9225360.html His thoughts on the role.

 

Then again Travolta is 6'2", but maybe he is sitting or slouching there, because that guy IS OJ sized, as is Schwimmer.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Tom Cruise also stood next to a couple I know that are both 6 feet (!) tall and didn't look that short in the picture, so I don't get what the hell is happening re: lifts or not with that guy either.  He looked the same height as my 6 foot tall female friend, but she claimed she was crouching a bit so as not to be rude.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Umbelina]

I don't have a problem with actors wearing lifts.  I wish Cuba was wearing higher ones for this role.  He'd still be wrong for the role, the voice, and yes, he really isn't handsome or debonair enough. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Travolta probably looks shorter than his actual height, because weight gain (and a gym teacher told me this yeaaarrrrrrs ago) makes one look shorter, or something? He has a point.  Because, I had a friend in high school, who was overweight, and he was like, maybe a couple inches taller than me, which would make him around Cruise's height. After high school, he came into the bank where I was a teller and I didn't recognize him, because he had lost a lot of weight and now he was six feet tall. No Lie!

 

And Travolta ain't his young, svelte self these days...

[Umbelina]

Yeah, but he looks huge on the show, just not this particular photo.  He towers over everyone really.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yeah, but he looks huge on the show, just not this particular photo.  He towers over everyone really.

 

Agree. But in that picture above? He and Schwimmer look almost the same height. Like, Travolta should be a head taller, you know? Like he is on show, heh.

[Tunia]

Having just watched "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story", it points out how very powerful having the right actor for the right role can be.  Cuba Gooding NAILED IT as Dr. Ben Carson, and it renewed my admiration for him as an actor, which his portrayal of O.J. had diminished (at least for me).  I give him props for taking on the O.J. role, but he simply isn't right for the part, IMO.

 

It might have served Dr. Carson well to have this movie shown more prominently before he dropped out of the presidential race!

[qtpye]

hat's what is missing from the show, and thanks for pointing it out. Gooding is doing his best, but he's too small, and he's not playing OJ Simpson like he was in 1994 -- he's playing him like the guy who broke into the Las Vegas hotel room. The Simpson during the trial wasn't broken at all -- he was suave and powerful and looked like someone who had everything anyone could want. Gooding hasn't portrayed that part of the story at all.

    I think the series has been great, and the retelling has been great. But either the directors or Gooding has been making the exact wrong decisions when it comes to portraying OJ Simpson in 1994. Maybe that would seem too unpalatable to many, but in 1994, OJ Simpson was not a paranoid, washed up ex-athelte. He may not have been at the level he was in the Naked Guns (or Capricorn One) or even Monday Night Football, but he carried himself much better than the way Gooding is showing him. That takes a lot out of the story, because the fall of OJ Simpson was a hero's fall, not just another loser ex football player being jerky.

    I'm not defending OJ Simpson, but as I read your post, I thought you caught the aspect that has been missing from this show -- OJ Simpson was, at that time, larger than life, and reducing that aspect of his portrayal has been detrimental to the story they are telling.

 

 

I am posting a response here, because we are not supposed to be talking about casting in the episode thread.

 

What is crazy is they asked Cuba if he had talked to O.J. for role preparation.  Cuba said, that he did not want to portray O.J. as the broken man he is now, but as the cocky hero he still was in the nineties.

 

So the portrayal is really strange for many reasons, including it is not what Cuba intended.

 

Also when Travolta was holding up his hands to Cuba...the real O.J.'s hand would dwarf the real Shapiro's, so that scene would make sense.  If the gloves could not fit Shapiro's dainty little hand, no way it would fit O.J.

 

However, here Travolta's hands are larger.  There is no reason to assume that gloves that would not fit Travolta would fit Cuba.

 

I also hate that iddy biddy Cuba is robbing us of O.J.'s menace.  The public never saw the scary side of O.J and Cuba seems like a charisma less little rag doll in comparison.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Billy Brown from HTGAWM is my secret lover BTW.....

What?! He's cheating on me!? ;-)

 

Wonder it'll ever be leaked who all were considered for the OJ role? I can't believe Cuba was their only option and really wonder why he was picked over so many better (IMO) choices.

[Bcharmer]

 

As far as OJ, I'd rather see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=dwayne+johnson

 

Channel surfing today, and caught a bit of San Andreas, with Dwayne Johnson. I wasn't familiar with him, at all (don't watch wrestling), but the very minute I saw his face, my first thought was, "why didn't they cast HIM as OJ?" He would have been perfect! 

[Pallas]

There are actors, at all levels, who would decline to be considered for the part of O.J. Simpson. Their concerns could include not only the size of the part, but the distaste -- expressed or not -- of their intimates, and their own aversion to spending weeks inhabiting his psyche. (At least John WIlkes Booth was a good actor.) Most of all, many actors who physically suggest Simpson would not want to risk having directors and casting directors look at them and see O.J. -- or believe that's what the public would see. It's not worth it.  

 

But Cuba Gooding, Jr. surely knowa that going forward, he runa little risk of that. Like an actor portraying a character with a disability or deformity, his being physically distinct from the character shifts the focus to his acting: can he pull it off? Gooding is particularly well-known as an Oscar-winner, in a movie most people have seen. He has some credibility with the audience: enough for us not simply to dismiss him from the start as wrong, and to take interest in whether he's up to the challenge. For Gooding, that challenge, along with usual advantages of a high-profile job, may have made the part worthwhile.

[Eolivet]

I feel like Gooding is being sort of unfairly tarred because the majority of scenes we get with him are behind the scenes with his lawyers. Other than his lawyers writing books, nobody knows how Simpson actually behaved in those scenes.

 

In the trial scenes, I also feel like he's getting slammed for what are directorial and writing choices more than his personal acting choices. Again, I feel like this is a dramatization, not a reenactment. in the glove scene, for example, if the stage directions really said "act cocky and full of yourself," and this is what Gooding came up with, I can blame the actor. But I feel like the feeling of the scene began at the script and was put into practice by the director. I don't believe the direction indicated he was to act exactly like Simpson at the trial scene. If it didn't work, I think that's a writer/director fail, not anything Gooding did.

[sereion]

I love Cuba Gooding, Jr. since Boyz in the Hood, but like most of you, I do agree him playing OJ was a miscast. OJ was very attractive with a baritone voice, and Cuba (not, saying he's ugly). Doesn't fit that description; especially his voice. I think someone like, Laz Alonzo--even Rick Fox would be more fitting in the role. I also think since Keith Hamilton Cobb is approximately the same age OJ was during the trial, he would've have been a great choice as well. Dare I say it, but I would even go with Jeffrey Wright. Or they've could've avoid the star power element and go with an unknown.

 

I've also noted the mixed reviews on John Travolta; I think it was a good casting call, and he's doing a great job as Shapiro.

 

Otherwise, the whoever was responsible for casting deserve an award, they were spot on with the rest of the characters; I will say Sterling Brown embodies Darden. I liked him in Army Wives, but this is his breakthrough performance. It will be a travesty if he and Sarah Paulson get snubbed during award season. 

I love Cuba Gooding, Jr. since Boyz in the Hood, but like most of you, I do agree him playing OJ was a miscast. OJ was very attractive with a baritone voice, and Cuba (not, saying he's ugly). Doesn't fit that description; especially his voice. I think someone like Idris Elba, Laz Alonzo--even Rick Fox would be more fitting in the role. I also think since Keith Hamilton Cobb is approximately the same age OJ was during the trial, he would've have been a great choice as well. Oh they've could've avoid the star power element and go with an unknown.

 

I've also noted the mixed reviews on John Travolta; I think it was a good casting call, and he's doing a great job as Shapiro.

 

Otherwise, the whoever was responsible for casting deserve an award, they were spot on with the rest of the characters; I will say Sterling Brown embodies Darden. I liked him in Army Wives, but this is his breakthrough performance. It will be a travesty if he and Sarah Paulson get snubbed during award season. 

Edited March 20, 2016 by sereion

[Ms Blue Jay]

I think it's better for the actor playing O.J. to be known rather than unknown.  It actually goes to Cuba's benefit -- going forward in his career -- that he doesn't look like OJ because I don't think (THINK -- hmm, maybe people younger than I will feel different) that people will ever associate Cuba with OJ going forward.

 

Might be tough for an unknown actor going forward after this kind of "iconic" part.  They might be typecast in the future or maybe people will have bad associations with the actor.  I think for Cuba it's very little risk with a lot of reward, even though the more analytical members of the audience think he is very miscast.  

 

Looking at almost the entire cast, you can see they really focused on getting name actors for this -- and funnily enough several who were extremely famous in 1994-95 (Schwimmer, Travolta, and Cuba) -- and it MOSTLY worked extremely well.

 

I watched all of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip -- loved the show, but didn't come out a great Sarah Paulson fan.  She has totally won me over now.  Another funny thing -- she costarred with Matthew Perry on that show, Chandler from Friends, and now works with Ross!  Jennifer Aniston next?

Edited March 20, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Eolivet]

Another reason I don't think they could've cast an unknown (and save for The Rock, and possibly Idris Elba, everyone else mentioned is pretty "unknown") as Simpson is because this isn't exactly a heavyweight cast surrounding him, name-wise. It's not like Meryl Streep as Marcia Clark, Tom Hanks as Robert Shapiro and Denzel Washington as Johnnie Cochran. With the obvious caveat that I think all of them are knocking it out of the park and making a seriously compelling and watchable series, the cast is pretty much like the acting version of early season (prior to the reality influx) Dancing with the Stars. It's filled with people who were either famous a while ago for something else (Travolta and Schwimmer) or who are "TV famous" (Paulson and Vance, but also Lane and even Handler and Rob freaking Morrow!) or unknowns themselves (Sterling Brown! Where have you been all my TV-watching life?). Unless one is a serious TV fanatic, the rest of the cast are all somewhat a version of "hey, it's that guy!"

 

So, I think they had to have somebody with instant name recognition (which I think Gooding has) to play Simpson to ground the whole cast. When everyone hears "The People vs. OJ Simpson" is coming to TV, everyone wants to know "Who's playing OJ?" So, the answer to that question can't be "...Who?" or they won't get people to tune in in the first place.

 

I for one think the producers made a great call, because the ratings have seemingly been steady (and good). Because I really do think people tuned in for the curiosity factor surrounding Cuba-as-OJ, but then stayed for everyone else. And I think that was exactly the producers' plan.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Eolivet

[Avaleigh]

Whoever first called Keith Hamilton Cobb--that name is a blast from the past but I totally think it would have worked and would have been better than Cuba. I think Cuba is a fine actor I'm just not seeing him as OJ. For me it's easily the weakest bit of casting. 

 

I think Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, and Sterling K. Brown have run away with the production. Nathan Lane and Robert Morse are also treats to watch. I appreciate the humor that Travolta is bringing to the role so I'm willing to forgive the appearance factor. David Schwimmer has been a pleasant surprise I just haven't been wild about all of his dialogue. Connie Britton and Jordana Brewster have been great but haven't been utilized enough IMO especially Jordana.  

 

Re: Cuba Good Jr.'s woefully misguided post Oscar career, Cuba, Halle Berry, and Kim Basinger are always the names that come to mind where I'm just like, what happened? Who thought all of these bad movies were a good idea when you're hot off of an Oscar win?

Edited March 20, 2016 by Avaleigh

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't know. I can't get on board with an actor who would be better suited refusing the role because of who they would be playing. Mark Harmon played Ted Bundy for goodness sakes, and it didn't hurt his career. He also played that real life Delaware delegate, who murdered a woman, presumably chopped her body and threw it out to sea(the reason for never finding her body). Another mistress coming forward finally got him, I think. And he's still one of the better loved actors and on a long running series that has been signed on for three more seasons.

So yeah, I maintain they could have gotten someone who could be believable as Simpson, unless they all turned it down and Cuba was the only one who said yes?

And I disagree that the actors playing the other major characters are lightweights. Nathan Lane? John Travolta? Sarah Paulson? Courtney B. Vance? I wouldn't consider them B, C, or D list stars.

With the advent and popularity of cable, streaming, being on a television show these days isn't something that is considered to be a downgrade. We have Jim Caviezel, Martin Sheen, Hollywood stars, who have done network shows.

Edited March 22, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Dev F]

Channel surfing today, and caught a bit of San Andreas, with Dwayne Johnson. I wasn't familiar with him, at all (don't watch wrestling), but the very minute I saw his face, my first thought was, "why didn't they cast HIM as OJ?" He would have been perfect! 

 

I see a lot of advantages to casting the Rock -- he's got the good-natured charisma and physical heft the role requires, and his own celebrity aura is a good match for that of pre-murder OJ -- but there's one thing that might've given the producers pause: Since the racial issues are so central to the case, you need an actor who immediately reads as black, and Johnson's race is more ambiguous. And those same racial issues would've meant a PR nightmare if they'd tried to make the Rock look "blacker" by, say, darkening his skin.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Dev F

[Ms Blue Jay]

He's also so beloved by the media.  Does he even ever play villains?  LOL.  I don't know enough about his character to say.  But he's like Will Smith.  The hero in all of his blockbuster movies.  That's how I see him, anyway.

[suomi]

Coloring aside, the first time I laid eyes on The Rock many years ago I said, hmm, he is hottt and he reminds me of someone ... who is it? Oh yeah, OJ.

 

ETA http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dwayne+johnson&qpvt=dwayne+johnson&qpvt=dwayne+johnson&FORM=IARRSM

Edited March 21, 2016 by suomi

[Eolivet]

And I disagree that the actors playing the other major characters are lightweights. Nathan Lane? John Travolta? Sarah Paulson? Courtney B. Vance? I wouldn't consider them B, C, or D list stars.

 

Not lightweights by talent, lightweights by name. I virtually guarantee if you polled 100 people in a random sampling across the country and asked if they'd heard of Sarah Paulson or Courtney B. Vance, the numbers would be dramatically lower than those who had heard of Cuba Gooding, Jr.

 

It would be one thing if they were casting all unknowns, and then it's just about acting and the story. But by casting John Travolta and David Schwimmer, I believe they're making a statement. I also believe that in a show called "The People vs OJ Simpson," you cannot have fewer people recognize who is playing OJ Simpson than who is playing Robert Shapiro.

 

Casting people with at least some name recognition in the other roles, I would argue the producers and writers are making the (accurate) argument that this case was as much about fame as much as it was about anything. Thus, the show needs someone famous to play OJ because OJ was famous. As I said initially, I believe the audience needs the effect of tuning in and going "Wait, that guy? That guy committed those crimes?" -- similar to the real-life nature of the case. There is no way to convey "formerly beloved star is suddenly suspected of something unspeakable" with someone unknown (especially when the people playing his lawyers have decent name recognition themselves), because they aren't a formerly beloved star. Gooding is.

 

So, I believe for a show called "The People vs OJ Simpson" to work, OJ Simpson cannot be less famous than F. Lee Bailey or Marcia Clark, because that wasn't how the case was. And in every casting scenario, save for The Rock, that's exactly what happens.

[smiley13]

I see a lot of advantages to casting the Rock -- he's got the good-natured charisma and physical heft the role requires, and his own celebrity aura is a good match for that of pre-murder OJ -- but there's one thing that might've given the producers pause: Since the racial issues are so central to the case, you need an actor who immediately reads as black, and Johnson's race is more ambiguous. And those same racial issues would've meant a PR nightmare if they'd tried to make the Rock look "blacker" by, say, darkening his skin.

While he is apparently part black, I never realized that Dwayne Johnson was until I looked up his background after seeing people here think he would have been a good OJ.  He looks Samoan from his Mother's side.

Edited March 21, 2016 by smiley13

[AgentRXS]

 

He's also so beloved by the media.  Does he even ever play villains?  LOL.  I don't know enough about his character to say.  But he's like Will Smith.  The hero in all of his blockbuster movies.  That's how I see him, anyway.

Huge Dwayne Johson/The Rock fan here. Been following his career since at least '98 or so. I agree completely that he would make the perfect OJ. In fact, had OJ not been infamous for this case, I'm sure he would be considered as someone that Dwayne admired, someone that helped pave the way for Dwayne to achieve his own crossover success.

That being said, there is no way in hell that Dwayne would ever touch a role like this. His movie star brand is all about playing the hero/good guy. He knows what he's good at and he sticks to what works. Hes perfectly good with playing the action hero in summer blockbusters and the formulas working for him financially. He has a reputation for being one of the nicest and down to earth celebrities to his fans as well. He knows who his fan base is and is happy to give them what they want.

He's not going to risk a red-hot movie career by taking on a role like this.  Its too polarizing and he's work too hard to get where he is to risk alienating fans over OJ. He MAY have taken this role on when he just first started trying to crossover (when he wanted to be taken seriously as an actor) but now? Not a chance.

[Aethera]

I was down on Cuba to start, but he's not bothering me now. Maybe because he feels like so not the focus of the last few episodes.

 

Meanwhile, I'd never seen Sterling K Brown before, but I must join in the love - he's terrific. I think he's completely stealing the series, and that's quite the feat, considering how many scenes he's sharing with Sarah Paulson, who is also great.

 

I love understated Nathan Lane. He was excellent making a lot out of small moments on the Good Wife, and he's been incredible here doing the same thing.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'll also shout out Evan Handler, a great character actor from Californication, Sex and the City, and LOST.  He plays Dershowitz.  The hair does a great job of letting him disappear into the role.  As soon as I heard his voice, I knew that I knew the actor, but it took me a few minutes.

[psychoticstate]

I don't know. I can't get on board with an actor who would be better suited refusing the role because of who they would be playing. Mark Harmon played Ted Bundy for goodness sakes, and it didn't hurt his career. He also played that real life New Jersey (I think?) delegate, who murdered a woman, presumably chopped her body and threw it out to sea(the reason for never finding her body). Another mistress coming forward finally got him, I think. And he's still one of the better loved actors and on a long running series that has been signed on for three more seasons.

 

 

You're thinking of Thomas Capano and AnnMarie Fahey. 

 

I thought Mark Harmon did an amazing job playing Bundy.  He definitely showed how charismatic and charming the real Bundy could be although Harmon played Bundy during his prime killing years as the later Bundy of the Florida trials.  The real Bundy was not nearly as cocky and self-assured during the early 70s as he was during his trials.  And that's not to knock Harmon's portrayal at all since most believed he was arrogant and sure of himself.

 

I prefer Harmon's portrayal of Bundy to Capano although the movie on Capano was quite good.  I think the portrayal of his longtime mistress - - the one that eventually cooperated with the prosecutors - - took me out of it.  The real mistress was ordinary and "every day," not the stunning woman she was shown to be in the movie.

 

But yes, I agree with your statement.  The right actor and the right performance will make physical appearance not as necessary.

[GHScorpiosRule]

You're thinking of Thomas Capano and AnnMarie Fahey. 

 

 

 

That's it! Thanks psychoticstate.  And Anne Marie was played by what'sherface from Cold Case. Sorry, my brain isn't working today!

[psychoticstate]

Kathryn Morris!  I loved Cold Case. 

 

This is a good example of the actress looking nothing like the real person . . . but Morris did fine.

[Umbelina]

I was down on Cuba to start, but he's not bothering me now. Maybe because he feels like so not the focus of the last few episodes.

 

Meanwhile, I'd never seen Sterling K Brown before, but I must join in the love - he's terrific. I think he's completely stealing the series, and that's quite the feat, considering how many scenes he's sharing with Sarah Paulson, who is also great.

 

I love understated Nathan Lane. He was excellent making a lot out of small moments on the Good Wife, and he's been incredible here doing the same thing.

Wow, that first point is so interesting, because I'm having the opposite reaction.

 

I was really pulling for Cuba in this role, probably because that article/interview linked early in this thread was so touching for me.  He talked about all the stupid bad choices he made, just dicking around with his career after the Oscar, going for money, ignoring quality, and how this role was a big chance for him to actually ACT again.  He threw it away, and this was his chance to get it back.  I wanted him to get that.  Maybe he has.

 

For me though, it just gets worse and worse.  His anger isn't really threatening to me at key moments, it just feels more petulant.  It's not really his fault, because I think he simply doesn't have OJ's incredible calm/peace/ego/gentleman feel the rest of the time.  OJ was so scary BECAUSE he seemed like such a good guy, suave, and personable one moment, and obviously a violent maniac at other times.  You need ONE to make the OTHER "be OJ."  OJ was handsome, you could see why Nicole fell for him. 

 

Also, OJ had huge hands and a huge head, his very size looked menacing, it WAS part of the story, and the direction of this show did nothing to help Cuba with that.  It's better when he's sitting down, even though the others still tower over him in their chairs, but it still, increasingly, feels all wrong to me.  OJ had a quiet power that, sort of like a bull, could explode, and intimidate anyone really, huge booming voice.  Cuba just seems like a bantam rooster type, and they tend to strut and explode all over the place, screeching his clucking, but no one is really threatened by them. 

 

It's just really not working for me at all any more.  I find myself, during Cuba's scenes, actively trying to project OJ into him, or remembering the real OJ, and imagining him saying the lines, just to make it believable.

 

The rest of your post?  Cosign!   

Edited March 21, 2016 by Umbelina

[Inquisitionist]

It was the first time I realized Schwimmer could act outside of a multi-cam sitcom. He's even better in this show. I hope he gets more opportunities now.

 

I'm wondering if Schwimmer already gets "opportunities" but declines them. Given his prior earnings and his other interests (such as his ongoing involvement with the Lookingglass Theater in Chicago), perhaps he's working just as much as he wants to in TV and film?

[psychoticstate]

Wow, that first point is so interesting, because I'm having the opposite reaction.

 

I was really pulling for Cuba in this role, probably because that article/interview linked early in this thread was so touching for me.  He talked about all the stupid bad choices he made, just dicking around with his career after the Oscar, going for money, ignoring quality, and how this role was a big chance for him to actually ACT again.  He threw it away, and this was his chance to get it back.  I wanted him to get that.  Maybe he has.

 

For me though, it just gets worse and worse.  His anger isn't really threatening to me at key moments, it just feels more petulant.  It's not really his fault, because I think he simply doesn't have OJ's incredible calm/peace/ego/gentleman feel the rest of the time.  OJ was so scary BECAUSE he seemed like such a good guy, suave, and personable one moment, and obviously a violent maniac at other times.  You need ONE to make the OTHER "be OJ."  OJ was handsome, you could see why Nicole fell for him. 

 

Also, OJ had huge hands and a huge head, his very size looked menacing, it WAS part of the story, and the direction of this show did nothing to help Cuba with that.  It's better when he's sitting down, even though the others still tower over him in their chairs, but it still, increasingly, feels all wrong to me.  OJ had a quiet power that, sort of like a bull, could explode, and intimidate anyone really, huge booming voice.  Cuba just seems like a bantam rooster type, and they tend to strut and explode all over the place, screeching his clucking, but no one is really threatened by them. 

 

It's just really not working for me at all any more.  I find myself, during Cuba's scenes, actively trying to project OJ into him, or remembering the real OJ, and imagining him saying the lines, just to make it believable.

 

The rest of your post?  Cosign!   

 

Having Simpson be more of a background character is telling, isn't it?   The case ultimately became more about race, race relations and the LAPD than Ron, Nicole or even Simpson.

 

I don't think Cuba is doing badly but he's missing that "something" that he had as Rod Tidwell.  At least to me.  He's playing Simpson as very muted, which he may have been for a good portion of the trial but it gives the viewer no real idea what Simpson was like.

 

Another poster had mentioned Denzel Washington - - a younger Denzel would have been great in this role, I think.  He's very charming, handsome, can be very modulated but is great at acting out rage and anger.

[Aethera]

I see your points, Umbellina. I'm not saying he's good, just that he's no longer distracting me from everyone else the way he was in the first 2 episodes. Perhaps what it is for me is that I while I don't see OJ, I've kind of looked past Cuba now, and focused on everyone else, so he's not ruining it for me. He's just kind of faded out, and my own mental version of OJ has taken over. This has been made easier by the fact that I'm usually multitasking when I watch TV, so I don't see things like the height issues as much.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm wondering if Schwimmer already gets "opportunities" but declines them. Given his prior earnings and his other interests (such as his ongoing involvement with the Lookingglass Theater in Chicago), perhaps he's working just as much as he wants to in TV and film?

 

Yes.  I think he's interested in directing.  He directed "Run Fatboy Run" in 2007 and he has directed some Friends episodes.  He's directed for other shows, and off Broadway, etc.  

 

There was an idiot commenting on his Vulture interview that he must be hard up for work.  Of course people who don't like Friends assume all these actors are has-beens.  Rather, these actors are successful millionaires who have enough fame and money than they'll ever know what to do with.  He had to be convinced to take this part.  I will defend this man forever:

 

Schwimmer is an active director of the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica, which specializes in helping victims of date rape and child rape.[5] He has also campaigned for legislation to ban drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB.[5] In November 2011, he gave the Scottish charity Children 1st permission to screen his film Trust to commemorate World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and Violence against Children.[77] - Wikipedia

 

His Vulture interview about this role.  http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/david-schwimmer-robert-kardashian-people-v-oj-simpson.html

Edited March 21, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Avaleigh]

Not lightweights by talent, lightweights by name. I virtually guarantee if you polled 100 people in a random sampling across the country and asked if they'd heard of Sarah Paulson or Courtney B. Vance, the numbers would be dramatically lower than those who had heard of Cuba Gooding, Jr.

 

It would be one thing if they were casting all unknowns, and then it's just about acting and the story. But by casting John Travolta and David Schwimmer, I believe they're making a statement. I also believe that in a show called "The People vs OJ Simpson," you cannot have fewer people recognize who is playing OJ Simpson than who is playing Robert Shapiro.

 

Casting people with at least some name recognition in the other roles, I would argue the producers and writers are making the (accurate) argument that this case was as much about fame as much as it was about anything. Thus, the show needs someone famous to play OJ because OJ was famous. As I said initially, I believe the audience needs the effect of tuning in and going "Wait, that guy? That guy committed those crimes?" -- similar to the real-life nature of the case. There is no way to convey "formerly beloved star is suddenly suspected of something unspeakable" with someone unknown (especially when the people playing his lawyers have decent name recognition themselves), because they aren't a formerly beloved star. Gooding is.

 

So, I believe for a show called "The People vs OJ Simpson" to work, OJ Simpson cannot be less famous than F. Lee Bailey or Marcia Clark, because that wasn't how the case was. And in every casting scenario, save for The Rock, that's exactly what happens.

This is a fair point. 

 

If we had to go with more of a name I guess the best suggestion I've seen is LL Cool J. Dwayne Johnson's look for me would be almost as distracting for me as Cuba's. He's better looking than OJ (IMO), I agree with others that he absolutely reeks good guy, he's an okay actor, I'm not sure that I buy him being able to pull off the more difficult parts mainly the drama of the chase (in that case I think Cuba was probably a better choice), and even though he's very close to the age OJ was during the trial, I think he looks a lot younger. Plus, I have to agree that I can't really see him wanting to pay OJ when he's one of a handful of movie stars who can still count on getting an awesome payday because he's such a box office guarantee these days.

 

I question LL's acting skills too but I think it might have worked. 

 

Regarding casting around the time of the trial or immediately after--I think Dan Hedaya would have made a great Shapiro. Susan Sarandon might have made a decent Marcia Clark back then even though the ages aren't quite right. 

I'll also shout out Evan Handler, a great character actor from Californication, Sex and the City, and LOST.  He plays Dershowitz.  The hair does a great job of letting him disappear into the role.  As soon as I heard his voice, I knew that I knew the actor, but it took me a few minutes.

Holy shit, it's only from your post that I'm realizing he played Harry from Sex and the City. I knew I recognized his voice but I didn't think about it beyond that. Hair can seriously change a person's appearance, damn. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I love Dan Hedaya!  Because of Clueless, LOL.  He also played Richard Nixon in Dick.

 

Yeah, like I said, Evan Handler is a great character actor who can really disappear!  Even though usually he is bald and always looks like the same guy, the wonderful Harry (SATC) could not be more different from the disgusting Runkle (Californication), IMO.
 

Edited March 21, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[psychoticstate]

Ms. Blue Jay, thank you for that information on David Schwimmer.  I didn't know much about him but I have endless respect for him now.  Class act.

[stcroix]

First off let me be clear that I'm not knocking David Schwimmer's performance on this show, I think he's doing a great job portraying a sympathetic friend.  I loved him as Ross on Friends.  And he especially blew me away with his portrayal of First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, a petty and vindictive officer in Band of Brothers. That's when I realized he could really act.  And I think he's a very nice, good hearted person.  Which makes me think he wanted to portray the 'good' side of Robert Kardashian's personality.  The loyal friend who stuck up for you no matter what.  I don't think that was the real Robert Kardashian from all I've read.

 

I watched the whole O.J. trial and have read every book written about it from the book his niece wrote (she came to see his guilt), Chris Dardens, Marsha Clarks, O.J.'s, his friends (or rather business partners) who finally came out for their $$$, to Schillers extremely interesting inside look. I wanted to be able to compare the stories. After being so engrossed with the actual trial at the time, I wanted to see what may have been left out.   The definitive book seems to be American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the O.J. Simpson Defense by Lawrence Schiller and James Willwerth better known as 'The Book' and this is the one I'm interested in talking about because it deals with Robert Kardashian's character. 

 

The reason I'm mentioning this is because Robert Kardashian and Lawrence Schiller told O.J. that they were co authoring a book about the trial as seen through one of 'his friends'. (Kardashian)  From everything I can gather, Robert K. thought O. J. was guilty from the beginning (he knew him well, and who knows what the drugged out O.J. said when he was in Kardashian's house before the Bronco escape?)  Kardashian saw a way to make big money by writing this book with inside information in it along with plans for a miniseries to be filmed based on the book.  From all the evidence that Kardashian saw throughout the trial, and from the way Schiller's book was written, it appeared they both thought O.J. would be convicted and they would hit pay dirt with this huge inside information book.  When O.J. was acquitted instead of found guilty Kardashian was shocked (as you can see from his face when the jury verdict was read).  They had signed legal papers stating they would only put non confidential information in the book and agreed that O.J. would be able to sign off on every part of the book before it went to a publisher which was found to be totally false.

 

After O.J.'s acquittal, they quickly took it to a publisher, took Kardashian's name off it (but not his profits from it), added another co author to it and got it published.  (A fascinating read, I must say)  Kardashian reportedly said he believed O.J. was guilty.  O.J. filed a  complaint for breach of contract and fraud among other things asking for a jury trial against Schiller and Kardashian.  Because of the Civil trial his attention and finances turned that way and his 'friend' and Schiller got away scott free, the book was published and was a best seller. 

 

Because of the way David Schwimmer is portraying Kardashian doesn't mean he was this nice innocent friend.  Think about the crowd Kardashian moved in, think about who he married!  ;)  I'm sure he liked O.J. (most people did) but he seemed to honestly be in it for the almighty buck.  The court document is here:

http://www.readbag.com/fl1-findlaw-news-findlaw-com-hdocs-docs-simpson-complaint

[GHScorpiosRule]

Kathryn Morris!  I loved Cold Case. 

 

This is a good example of the actress looking nothing like the real person . . . but Morris did fine.

 

 

I had to edit my original post! It was in Delaware, not New Jersey! Aaaaand it was Gerard Capano, his younger brother, who outed him, because helped Capano get rid of Fahey's body.  And I didn't know that he died in prison five years ago. No foul play. 

 

Why yes, I had nothing better to do today, so I went Googling! Because due to Buzzfeed, TruTV and the like, www.crimelibrary.com is now defunct!

[Umbelina]

Evan Handler is seriously amazing me as well, I didn't even recognize him as Charlotte's husband on S&TC. 

 

Wow.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Another reason I admire David Schwimmer:  

 

In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $22,500 per episode.[24] The cast members received different salaries in the second season, beginning from the $20,000 range to $40,000 per episode.[24][25] Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for individual deals.[26] The actors were given the salary of the least-paid cast member, meaning Aniston and Schwimmer had their salaries reduced. The stars were paid $75,000 per episode in season three, $85,000 in season four, $100,000 in season five, $125,000 in season six, $750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $1 million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow the highest paid TV actresses of all-time.[27][28][29] The cast also received syndication royalties beginning in 2000 after renegotiations. At the time, that financial benefit of a piece of the show's lucrative back end profits had only been given out to stars who had ownership rights in a show, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby.[30]

 

Bolding mine.  Sorry, a Friends fanatic here.  It was David Schwimmer's idea to have all 6 of the actors negotiate their salaries TOGETHER and unionize, meaning, all 6 of them would commit to do the show together and quit together.  He was the highest paid cast member along with Aniston so salary-wise it was an unselfish idea. It turned out to be a genius move and it fostered a lack of resentment and infighting amongst the cast.  And obviously, the show lasted 10 years which is very abnormal.  Now, with shows like The Big Bang Theory I believe this group salary negotiation is standard fare. Both of Schwimmer's parents are attorneys.

 

I hope this is on-topic enough but other posters seemed to appreciate the inside info on the actors.

 

How is Selma Blair as Kris Kardashian?  I think she was so hammy and cheesy and yet when I said this about Travolta I was told that this is how Shapiro acted!

Edited March 23, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[ByTor]

Wow, this gives me some respect for Jennifer Aniston that she seemed to have agreed.

[qtpye]

Channel surfing today, and caught a bit of San Andreas, with Dwayne Johnson. I wasn't familiar with him, at all (don't watch wrestling), but the very minute I saw his face, my first thought was, "why didn't they cast HIM as OJ?" He would have been perfect!

 

I see a lot of advantages to casting the Rock -- he's got the good-natured charisma and physical heft the role requires, and his own celebrity aura is a good match for that of pre-murder OJ -- but there's one thing that might've given the producers pause: Since the racial issues are so central to the case, you need an actor who immediately reads as black, and Johnson's race is more ambiguous. And those same racial issues would've meant a PR nightmare if they'd tried to make the Rock look "blacker" by, say, darkening his skin.

 

 

Can you imagine the Rock screaming at you to get off his bench?  His size would be horrifying, but also because he seems like such a nice guy...it would be totally unexpected.

 

Exactly like OJ.

Edited March 23, 2016 by qtpye

[lovinbob]

Dwayne Johnson would have been good casting, but he'd have nothing to gain from the role. Re: his ethnic background: check out little Rock with his dad back in the day. I remember him in his wrestling days, a member of the Soul Patrol! I think Dwayne's fair skin would work as OJ -- someone as dark as Idris or Denzel (neither of whom would have taken this role) wouldn't work as well, IMO.

 

I love what I learned about David Schwimmer through this thread! 

[qtpye]

Rock is too cute and his daddy was a fine looking man.  Heck, that guy would of made a better OJ then Cuba.

[choclatechip45]

 

Bolding mine.  Sorry, a Friends fanatic here.  It was David Schwimmer's idea to have all 6 of the actors negotiate their salaries TOGETHER and unionize, meaning, all 6 of them would commit to do the show together and quit together.  He was the highest paid cast member along with Aniston so salary-wise it was an unselfish idea. It turned out to be a genius move and it fostered a lack of resentment and infighting amongst the cast.  And obviously, the show lasted 10 years which is very abnormal.  Now, with shows like The Big Bang Theory I believe this group salary negotiation is standard fare. Both of Schwimmer's parents are attorneys.

I always thought it was his Mom's idea I remember reading somewhere that she told David they would have more power if they all negotiated together.

[qtpye]

All the girls are so cute (I guess everyone is a that age) and he looks a tiny bit like Shwimmer in the one with with the glasses.

Edited March 25, 2016 by qtpye

[Ms Blue Jay]

Chocolatechip45, yes that's why I mentioned his parents being attorneys.  I thought I had heard that.  Sorry, I kind of meant it was David's "idea" in the sense that he's the one who brought it to the other 5.  If his mother was the one who actually came up with the idea I am not surprised and that's great.