Cuba Gooding Jr. opened up about playing the notorious O.J. Simpson in Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story.
Variety reported the cast gathered together at a panel for the Television Critics Association, where Gooding Jr. opened up about his role. He said, “It’s the hardest character I’ve ever played. It was six months of an emotional roller coaster.”
The 10-part miniseries also stars David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark and Selma Blair as Kris Jenner. While Blair and Schwimmer have discussed at length about talking with Jenner about the events, Gooding said he refused to meet Simpson.
“I had no desire to visit him in his present condition being incarcerated, being a shell of a man.” In 1994, Simpson was described as “charismatic, flamboyant, braggadocious, egotistical.” Simpson is currently in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping.
Gooding Jr. did say that if Murphy were to do another season and show Simpson in the present with him in the role once again, then he would “sit with him.”
Murphy did say the cast didn’t have to meet with individuals they portrayed. Since Kardashian passed away in 2003, Schwimmer contacted Jenner in order to understand the man he was playing.
They also revealed that the Kardashian girls, Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe, would only appear in at least four or five scenes of the mini-series, which will premiere on FX on Feb. 2.