Friday, March 29, 2024

Why John Singleton and Courtney B. Vance Cheered O.J.’s Acquittal

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 3: US murder murder defendant O.J Simpson (C) celebrates the not guilty verdict with his attorney F.Lee Bailey (L) and Johnnie Cochan Jr (R). Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 3: US murder murder defendant O.J Simpson (C) celebrates the not guilty verdict with his attorney F.Lee Bailey (L) and Johnnie Cochan Jr (R). Simpson was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. (Photo credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

*America’s racial divide in 1994 became glaringly apparent on Oct. 3, 1995, when O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, and reaction to the verdict was largely split along racial lines.

“I was cheering,” said director John Singleton. “I’m black. I was cheering. What am I gonna say? I can’t lie.”

Singleton directs a pivotal episode of “American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson,” FX’s 10-part miniseries based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book about the legal dogfight behind the high-profile trial. The filmmaker’s episode, titled “The Race Card,” shows how Simpson’s lawyer Johnny Cochran, played by Courtney B. Vance, used it to his advantage.

“I didn’t want to shoot it like a traditional legal drama,” he told EURweb at the Television Critics Association Press Tour over the weekend. “I wanted to shoot it a different way – make the defense and the prosecution like opposing forces.”

(L-R Front Row) Executive Producer/Director Ryan Murphy and Executive Producer Nina Jacobson, (L-R Back Row) actors John Travolta, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Courtney B. Vance speak onstage during "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" panel discussion at the FX portion of the 2015 Winter TCA Tour at the Langham Huntington Hotel on January 16, 2016 in Pasadena, California.
(L-R Front Row) Executive Producer/Director Ryan Murphy and Executive Producer Nina Jacobson, (L-R Back Row) actors John Travolta, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Courtney B. Vance speak onstage during “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” panel discussion at the FX portion of the 2015 Winter TCA Tour at the Langham Huntington Hotel on January 16, 2016 in Pasadena, California.

“The People V. O.J. Simpson” makes a point to reference the Rodney King verdict and how it laid the groundwork for African American distrust and animosity toward police and the legal system – so much so that Simpson’s guilt or innocence became irrelevant. His victory was seen as vindication following centuries of racial injustice.

Vance lists some of the cases below in explaining why he, too, “cheered” O.J.’s acquittal.

Episode one of “American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson” premieres Feb. 2 on FX.

Watch the trailer below:

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING