Tuesdays episode ofThe People v. O.J.
Simpson: American Crime Storyis all about Marcia Clark.
The title for ep is even Marcia Marcia Marcia.
Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FX
Its a powerful, tragic hour showcasing the blatant misogyny and cruelty Clark was subjected to during the trial.
The episode is also a triumph for actress Sarah Paulson, who portrays Clark.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When were you initially approached to play Marcia Clark?
SARAH PAULSON:It was duringFreak Showand Ryan [Murphy] was directing the first episode.
Hes like, I dont know what next season ofHorror Storywill be.
Wouldnt you rather play Marcia Clark than doHorrorstory again?
And he was like, Oh lady.
You cant do both!
And I was like, Yes I can!
Im playing someone with two heads I can do it!
I was like, Okay.
First of all I thought theres no way Im not gonna wanna do it.
I dont care what it is.
It could be slop on a page and Id still want to play Marcia Clark.
But the truth of the matter is it wasnt.
I think a lot of people have misperceptions and perceptions about who she is and was.
I was very intrigued by it.
I called him back and said, Yes of course I want to do it.
Were you captivated by the trial?
Yeah, but I was young.
I was 19, 20.
I remember where I was when I watched the Bronco chase.
Just all the political ramifications, all the societal ramifications.
I wonder what would happen if this all happened now.
Do you remember having an idea of Marcia Clark?
I remember believing what was fed to me.
I, of course, was completely susceptible to believing what was fed to me about her.
After all the research Ive done, Ive come to learn a lot more.
Its a pretty horrendous thing to imagine going from downtown courthouse to millions of people watching you on TV.
Ryan and the producers discouraged you from meeting her, right?
I really wanted to.
I went through sorta funky routes and found out little things like what her perfume was during the trial.
How did you find that out?
We have a mutual friend.
And I was like, No, no Im too nervous.
Then I emailed her and asked, Can you see what perfume you wore?
She just wrote back and she said, I think its called Pissed Off or Outrage.
She was making a joke.
And then she said, I think it was Magie Noire by Lancome.
It was very funny.
I found it on eBay.
I did a lot of research about it.
And apparently its been reformulated many times and I wanted the formulation that was the formulation in the 90s.
Who knows if that eBay person was lying but I do have it.
I do take a stab at wear just a little bit of it because it doesnt smell lovely.
But I actually find it kind of moving, the smell.
So you did finally meet her.
What was that like?
It was a very extraordinary thing.
It felt like I was meeting Meryl Streep or something.
Somebody that I truly admired and someone that I had come to revere from sort of an intellectual standpoint.
I had a great deal of sympathy for her.
When I first saw her, I just sort of started to squeal and I hid my face.
I thought I was gonna start to cry or something.
And I was right in the middle of doing Marcia Marcia Marcia.
I felt an enormous amount of feeling for her.
We had a lovely meal.
It was a very wild thing.
And was she concerned about this project?
I wouldnt say excited.
Im not playing someonelikeMarcia Clark Im playing Marcia Clark.
Were telling the story as told by Jeffrey Toobin, which is all based on fact.
Everyone is bound to have a different version of what those facts are if you talk to them.
So I wouldnt say excited but I think accepting.
It sounds like you feel a responsibility to give Marcia her due.
From my standpoint, what more could the woman have done?
It was a perfect storm of fails.
The climate in this town after Rodney King and those cops getting off…that alone.
Then you add O.J.
Simpson into the mix who was beloved and adored by millions of people.
I think they did everything they could.
They were actually fighting a case in the court of public opinion and not actually in that courtroom.
That was something I think maybe they werent as equipped for because they werent focused on that.
They were focusing on trying the case and presenting the facts.
The other side was really presenting the story that went down easily.
They were trying to paint something and people ate it up.
I do feel a responsibility to honor the circumstances.
She had two young children.
She was going through a terrible divorce.
Its a person who had to withstand all this scrutiny.
She was on the cover of tabloids.
That to me is of paramount importance that become clear and something that is evident to the audience.
I dont know that people walk away thinking about Marcia Clark as a person, as an actual person.
She became a cartoon or a caricature.
You think about a silly haircut.
Were talking about a person with a beating heart and two young boys to take care of.
