The People v. O.J. Simpson: History vs. Hollywood
| REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Born: January 2, 1968 Birthplace: The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA | Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson
Born: July 9, 1947 Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA Role: Defendant |
Sarah Paulson
Born: December 17, 1974 Birthplace: Tampa, Florida, USA | Marcia Clark
Born: August 31, 1953 Birthplace: Berkeley, California, USA Role: Head Prosecutor |
Courtney B. Vance
Born: March 12, 1960 Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA | Johnnie Cochran
Born: October 2, 1937 Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana, USA Death: March 29, 2005, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA (brain tumor) Role: Defense Attorney |
John Travolta
Born: February 18, 1954 Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey, USA | Robert Shapiro
Born: September 2, 1942 Birthplace: Plainfield, New Jersey, USA Role: Defense Attorney |
Sterling K. Brown
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA | Christopher Darden
Born: April 7, 1956 Birthplace: Richmond, California, USA Role: Prosecutor |
David Schwimmer
Born: November 2, 1966 Birthplace: Astoria, New York, USA | Robert Kardashian
Born: February 22, 1944 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA Death: September 30, 2003, Los Angeles, California, USA (cancer) Role: O.J.'s Friend / Defense Attorney |
Kenneth Choi
Born: October 20, 1971 Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA | Judge Lance Ito
Born: August 2, 1950 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA |
Billy Magnussen
Born: April 20, 1985 Birthplace: Woodhaven, New York City, New York, USA | Kato Kaelin
Born: March 9, 1959 Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Role: O.J. Simpson's Houseguest |
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Born: August 18, 1970 Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey, USA | Al “A.C.” Cowlings
Born: June 16, 1947 Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA Role: O.J.'s Friend / Bronco Driver |
Christian Clemenson
Born: March 17, 1958 Birthplace: Humboldt, Iowa, USA | Bill Hodgman
Born: December 14, 1952 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA Role: Prosecutor |
Bruce Greenwood
Born: August 12, 1956 Birthplace: Noranda, Québec, Canada | Gil Garcetti
Born: August 5, 1941 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA Role: L.A. District Attorney |
Nathan Lane
Born: February 3, 1956 Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey, USA | F. Lee Bailey
Born: June 10, 1933 Birthplace: Waltham, Massachusetts, USA Role: Defense Attorney |
Steven Pasquale
Born: November 18, 1976 Birthplace: Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA | Mark Fuhrman
Born: February 5, 1952 Birthplace: Eatonville, Washington, USA Role: LAPD Detective |
Chris Bauer
Born: October 28, 1966 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA | Tom Lange
Born: April 14, 1945 Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Role: LAPD Detective |
Michael McGrady
Born: March 30, 1960 Birthplace: Federal Way, Washington, USA | Philip Vannatter
Born: April 18, 1941 Birthplace: West Virginia, USA Death: January 20, 2012, Santa Clarita, California, USA (cancer) Role: LAPD Detective |
Joseph Siravo
Born: February 12, 1957 Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA | Fred Goldman
Born: December 6, 1940 Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA Role: Father of Ron Goldman |
Jessica Blair Herman
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA | Kim Goldman
Born: December 26, 1971 Birthplace: Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA Role: Sister of Ron Goldman |
Dale Godboldo
Born: July 5, 1975 Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, USA | Carl E. Douglas
Born: May 8, 1955 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA Role: Defense Attorney |
Evan Handler
Born: January 10, 1961 Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA | Alan Dershowitz
Born: September 1, 1938 Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA Role: Appellate Adviser to Defense |
Rob Morrow
Born: September 21, 1962 Birthplace: New Rochelle, New York, USA | Barry Scheck
Born: September 19, 1949 Birthplace: Queens, New York, USA Role: Defense Attorney |
Selma Blair
Born: June 23, 1972 Birthplace: Southfield, Michigan, USA | Kris Jenner
Born: November 5, 1955 Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA Role: Friend of Nicole Brown Simpson / Robert Kardashian's Ex-Wife |
Connie Britton
Born: March 6, 1967 Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Faye Resnick
Born: July 3, 1957 Birthplace: Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA Role: Friend of Nicole Brown Simpson |
Jordana Brewster
Born: April 26, 1980 Birthplace: Panama City, Panama | Denise Brown
Born: July 29, 1957 Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany Role: Sister of Nicole Brown Simpson |
Robert Morse
Born: May 18, 1931 Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts, USA | Dominick Dunne
Born: October 29, 1925 Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, USA Death: August 26, 2009, Manhattan, New York City, USA (bladder cancer) Role: Journalist for Vanity Fair / Father of Dominique Dunne |
Brian Byrnes
Born: October 3, 1974 Birthplace: Parma, Ohio, USA | Gordon Clark
Born: June 14, 1958 Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, USA Role: Marcia Clark's Ex-Husband (Pictured in more recent years) |
Kelly Dowdle
Born: July 10, 1984 Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA | Nicole Brown Simpson
Born: May 19, 1959 Birthplace: Frankfurt, West Germany Death: June 12, 1994, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA (stabbing) Role: Murder Victim / O.J.'s Ex-Wife |
Jake Koeppl
Birthplace: Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA | Ron Goldman
Born: July 2, 1968 Birthplace: Cook County, Illinois, USA Death: June 12, 1994, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA (stabbing) Role: Murder Victim |
Did Nicole's dog really tip off a neighbor that something was wrong?
Yes, but the true story behind The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show reveals that it didn't unfold exactly how it does onscreen. On the show, a neighbor immediately notices blood on Nicole's Akita's paws. In real life, Nicole Brown Simpson's Akita followed the neighbor home first. The dog then led the neighbors back to the scene where Nicole and Ron Goldman had been murdered. Listen to Mark Fuhrman describe how he believes the murders unfolded. -E! Online
Did Robert Kardashian really call Robert Shapiro to hire him to defend O.J.?
No. While fact-checking The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show, we learned that in real life Robert Shapiro was contacted by TV executive Roger King, not O.J.'s friend Robert Kardashian (portrayed by David Schwimmer on the show). Shapiro was at House of Blues when he got the call, not lunching at Mr. Chow. -E! Online
Did Johnnie Cochran initially call the case a "loser"?
No, at least not according to the real Johnnie Cochran. Portrayed by Courtney B. Vance on the TV show, the character is seen calling the case a "loser" in episode one, stating that he only takes winners. This is in Jeffrey Toobin's The Run of His Life book (which provided the basis for the show), but Cochran later denied saying it. -E! Online
Did O.J. Simpson really contemplate suicide in Kim Kardashian's bedroom?
According to Chloe Kardashian, it was in her bedroom that O.J. contemplated suicide, not her sister Kim's room. Kim would have been 14 at the time and Chloe 10. The TV show actually used the late Robert Kardashian's former home. "We actually got to shoot in Kardashian's house where all of this went down," says David Schwimmer, who portrays Robert Kardashian on the show. -The Late Late Show with James Corden
Did the Kardashian kids really chant "Kardashian, Kardashian" when their dad was reading the suicide note?
No. According to sisters Chloe and Kim Kardashian, the kids did not chant "Kardashian, Kardashian, Kardashian" as their father, Robert Kardashian, was reading O.J.'s potential suicide note (watch a video of the real Robert Kardashian reading O.J.'s suicide note). That part of The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show is pure fiction. -The Late Late Show with James Corden
Is the TV show nearly word-for-word accurate?
No. "This series is not a documentary," says author Jeffrey Toobin, who consulted on the show and wrote the book on which it was based. "It is not a word-for-word recreation. But in terms of the essential truths of the events, in terms of the insights into the characters, it is brilliant and everyone will learn a lot and be entertained a lot." -E! Online
Did O.J. and Nicole's daughter Sydney leave a tearful message on her mom's answering machine?
Yes. On the TV show, Sydney Simpson leaves the distraught message for her mother while the forensics team is collecting evidence. "Please answer," she begs her mother. Jeffrey Toobin mentions the message in his book, but he only says that Sydney left it at "some point" and doesn't say who discovered it.
How long did the O.J. Simpson chase last?
In fact-checking The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show, we learned that the O.J. Simpson chase lasted approximately an hour and fifteen minutes. Like on the show, friend Al Cowlings (A.C.) was at the wheel of the white Ford Bronco, while O.J. Simpson held a gun in the back seat, threatening to kill himself.
Were there really two white Broncos?
Yes. In researching The People v. O.J. Simpson true story, we learned that like on the TV show, O.J.'s friend Al Cowlings (A.C.) bought the same car as O.J., his idol. The white Bronco seen in the chase was Cowling's, not O.J.'s white Bronco that the police found blood on. -E! Online
Did Fred Goldman tell Marcia Clark that his son became "a footnote to his own murder?"
No. Though the father of the slain Ron Goldman did make his feelings regarding the case known to the media, the exchange in Marcia Clark's office is fiction. The TV show's writers created the scene, including the remark by Fred Goldman, that his son became "a footnote to his own murder."
Was there really a hearing to decide whether the prosecution could use more than ten hairs from O.J.'s head for DNA testing?
Yes. While investigating The People v. O.J. Simpson true story, we learned that this actually did happen. A hearing was held to determine whether the prosecution could procure more than ten hairs from O.J.'s head for DNA testing. Unlike on the show, Johnnie Cochran was not yet a member of the Dream Team (he joined July 18th). -E! Online
Was Marcia Clark going through a divorce at the time?
Yes. Fact-checking The People v. O.J. Simpson revealed that Deputy District Attorney Marcia Clark filed for divorce three days before the killings. -Inside The People v. O.J. Simpson
Did Marcia Clark really tell Judge Lance Ito that she had to go home to her children?
Yes. "I just, I can't be here," an exasperated Marcia Clark told Judge Lance Ito during the trial. -Inside Edition
Did Johnnie Cochran receive death threats while defending O.J. Simpson?
Yes. According to Lawrence Schiller's book American Tragedy, the majority of the defense team received threats and were harassed.
Was Johnnie Cochran really pulled over by the police?
Yes. According to The People v. O.J. Simpson true story, this happened in 1979, not 1982. Cochran was driving his first Rolls-Royce (with his initials on the plates) down Sunset Boulevard when he was pulled over for no apparent reason. Two of his three young children were in the back seat. The officers drew their guns and told Cochran to get out of the car with his hands up. His children started crying. The officers searched his European-style purse and found his DA office badge. -The Washington Post
Did Marcia Clark cry in court?
No. On the American Crime Story TV show, Marcia Clark cries in court after just having seen tabloid photos of herself. Despite the photos really happening, the crying in court didn't. "Trial lawyers all know, you can't show anything," says the real Marcia Clark. "You have to have a poker face, and believe me, if I had cried in court, can you imagine what they would have said? Things were bad enough guys." -The View
Did Detective Mark Fuhrman own a Nazi medal?
The TV show depicts Detective Mark Fuhrman carefully wiping the glass of a case where he keeps a Nazi medal. The inclusion of the medal is fictional. In reality, there were never any reports of Fuhrman having a Nazi medal. However, in September 1995, the L.A. Times reported that Deputy District Attorney Lucienne Coleman conveyed to the defense that Mark Fuhrman had painted swastikas on the locker of a colleague who had gotten married to a Jewish woman. However, two of the police officers who Coleman claimed to have told her the story denied ever making such statements. In her declaration, Coleman also says she was told that Fuhrman sometimes went out on weekends adorned in Nazi paraphernalia.
Did Alan Dershowitz really fax messages directly to the courtroom?
Yes. The real Alan Dershowitz did fax messages directly to the L.A. courtroom while teaching at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. -CSMonitor.com
Did Johnnie Cochran really say "n---er, please..." to Chris Darden after rebutting Darden's request to have the N-word banned from the courtroom?
Yes. According to author Jeffrey Toobin, Cochran did in fact lean over and whisper "n---er please" to Christopher Darden after Cochran annihilated Darden's argument to have the N-word stricken from the courtroom. "I was so furious with him," Cochran told TIME magazine. "I felt it was an insult to all black people." Darden had been worried that if the defense brought up Detective Mark Fuhrman's alleged use of the N-word, it would immediately turn the jury against him.
Did the defense really redecorate O.J.'s house for the jury's visit?
Yes. One might think it would have been required that O.J.'s house remain in the state it was in at the time of the murders, perhaps to be used for evidence. Surprisingly, the defense was indeed able to stage O.J. Simpson's house to emphasize to the jury that O.J. was a respectable family man. -Dateline
Did prosecutor Bill Hodgman really collapse in court?
No. On The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show, Deputy District Attorney Bill Hodgman becomes upset and collapses on the courtroom floor after Johnnie Cochran introduces witnesses that had not been disclosed to the prosecution. It is implied that he has a heart attack. In real life, Bill Hodgman never collapsed on the floor of the courtroom. He had chest pains later in the day and was taken to the hospital. The doctor concluded that it was stress-related but was not a heart attack. -NYDailyNews.com
Did Robert Shapiro really fiddle with the gloves and realize they'd be too small on O.J.?
Yes. Jeffrey Toobin writes in his book The Run of His Life that most of the defense lawyers were playing with the gloves. It was both Shapiro and Cochran (not just Shapiro) who observed that the extra-large gloves seemed slightly small. Like on the show, when O.J. tried the gloves on in real life, he appeared to struggle somewhat to get them on his hands. What the show doesn't reveal is that a lot of people, including legal experts and prosecutors, didn't think the gloves looked that small on O.J.'s hands. Yet, it was something that the defense embraced and ran with, leading to Johnnie Cochran's quote, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." In real life, the former Isotoner exec actually testified that the latex gloves Mr. Simpson wore underneath while trying them on was the reason for the snug fit. "At one point in time, those gloves would actually be, I think, large on Mr. Simpson's hands," the exec told the court. -E! Online
Did O.J.'s visitors really play poker with him in jail?
No. Here, the TV show largely deviates from the true story. O.J.'s visitors met with him through bulletproof glass, even Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran. Robert Kardashian later commented to Barbara Walters that it was tough not being able to touch or hug his friend in jail. Obviously, there were no poker games.
Was prosecutor Marcia Clark a rape victim?
Yes, according to her memoir Without a Doubt, she was assaulted by a waiter while vacationing in Israel with friends when she was 17.
Did the jury really deliberate for four hours?
No. According to the real Marcia Clark, the jury deliberated for two hours before coming back with a verdict, not four, meaning there was almost no deliberation. Clark says that unlike what is seen on The People v. O.J. Simpson TV show, the prosecution had no doubt that Simpson would be let off. Watch Oprah's audience react to the O.J. Simpson verdict as it's read live. -Vulture.com
Did one of the deputies guarding O.J. really tell him the verdict?
Yes, at least in so many words. The deputy asked for O.J.'s autograph and told him that a fellow deputy on jury detail said that O.J. shouldn't be nervous. -The Run of His Life
Did Christopher Darden confront Johnnie Cochran after the verdict?
No. The People v. O.J. Simpson true story reveals that the confrontation between Darden and Cochran is more of a mash-up of real conversations than an actual event. After Cochran's win, the TV show has Darden telling him that the victory "isn't some civil-rights milestone. Police in this country will keep arresting us and beating us, keep killing us. You haven't changed anything for black people here. Unless of course you're a famous rich one in Brentwood." -VanityFair.com
Did Chris Darden really break down at the press conference after the trial?
Yes. Despite saying, "I'm not bitter, and I'm not angry," like on the show, Darden then walked away from the podium to hug the Goldmans. He later told Oprah Winfrey that his statement was a lie, saying on her show that the trial was "a mockery, a circus, a joke. It was a waste of my life. A waste of the lives of my colleagues. It was pointless." -VanityFair.com
Did TIME magazine really Photoshop O.J.'s face to make him look darker?
Yes. TIME really did use a filter on O.J.'s face for its "An American Tragedy" cover. Controversy ensued, as some insisted that it was a racist move. The then director of the NAACP, Benjamin Chavis Jr., remarked, "The way he's pictured, it' like he's some kind of animal." Jesse Jackson appeared on CNN and likened the cover to "institutional racism."
Did O.J. Simpson's son really give him a puppy as a welcome home gift after the trial?
Yes. Strangely and unbelievably, his son Jason gave him an eight-week-old Great Dane. -VanityFair.com
Did O.J. deliver the statement at his Rockingham house?
No. In researching the true story behind The People v. O.J. Simpson, we learned that it was his oldest son Jason who delivered the statement, not O.J.
Did O.J. really throw the "party of the century" after he was released?
Yes. On the night of his release, the party was held at his Rockingham estate. Star magazine paid O.J. a six figure sum to photograph the party, which was reportedly a much quieter event than Simpson had originally hoped for. -VanityFair.com
Was the relationship between Marcia Clark and Chris Darden really that flirtatious?
It appears so. Despite Marcia Clark calling rumors that they hooked up "ridiculous," in his 1996 book In Contempt, Chris Darden wrote, "We sat up listening to hip-hop and R&B. We danced a few times and drank a few bottles of wine. In my mind, that is a relationship." They both have mentioned a trip to the Bay Area together, but the scene at Marcia's hotel room door when they almost kiss is more fiction than fact. Marcia then being mad that Chris didn't make a move is the show's creation as well.
O.J. Simpson Interviews, Bronco Chase & Related Videos
Further explore The People v. O.J. Simpson true story by watching the full Bronco chase, O.J. interviews, and his verdict unfolding live on Oprah. Also watch a Mark Fuhrman Oprah interview during which the former detective describes how he believes O.J. murdered ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
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