Kim Kardashian was only a teenager during the OJ Simpson trial, but she remembers it well enough to be in awe of how producer Ryan Murphy portrayed her family in the 2016 American Crime Story series, The People vs. OJ Simpson.
Watching it back, Kardashian, 43, recalled even asking Murphy how he was able to nail the exact details of her father, Simpson’s lawyer, the late Robert Kardashian Sr.. She shared the story with Chloë Sevigny in an episode of Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” published Wednesday, June 5.
“I loved it. Some people were over and they hadn’t seen it — I watched it years and years ago — and I wanted to see if my recollection was right on the portrayal of my dad,” Kim recalled. “I thought it was just done so well. I remember asking Ryan, who were your sources? Because that was my dad’s exact bracelet. That was our home! They actually rented the home that we grew up in at that period of time. Little things were wrong, but minimal.”
Friends star David Schwimmer portrayed Robert, the defense attorney and longtime friend to Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.). The NFL star, who died at age 76 from cancer in April, was also Kim’s godfather.
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Now that Kim is in law school, she says it’s given her an opportunity to revisit the series and watch it in a new light.
“But it was just fascinating to watch and see it from a different perspective, especially now, since I’m in law school,” she said. “Seeing it from a legal point of view is just fascinating.”
Despite her connection to the trial, Kim does not often speak publicly about it, explaining that she wants to respect OJ and Nicole Brown Simpson’s children, Sydney and Justin.
“I just respect his children, so if I were to say something that would hurt someone’s feelings publicly — unless they’re coming for me and I have to defend myself or a family member — then I’m aware,” she said in a 2020 interview with David Letterman.
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In the Variety interview, Kim also spoke about the opportunity to work with the series creator himself, sharing that Murphy, 58, first approached her about a different project before Kim ultimately ended up on American Horror Story: Delicate.
“He came to me with an idea that was kind of reality-based, and I wasn’t into it,” she said. “And then he said, ‘I really want to write something for you. Would you consider doing American Horror Story?’ I obviously know the franchise — and it was an honor. Sometimes it just takes that one person to really believe in you and give you that push.”
Kim plays entertainment publicist Siobhan Corbyn on the show alongside AHS veteran Emma Roberts.
