The Real Marcia Clark Opens Up About The People V. O.J. Simpson

There are a lot of stars in The People v. O.J. Simpson. David Schwimmer’s in-over-his-head Kardashian patriarch, Courtney B. Vance’s sharky Johnnie Cochran, and John Travolta’s intense contouring all vie for the spot of most compellingly watchable. That’s not even mentioning Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s revelatory O.J. Simpson (he hasn’t been this good since Snow Dogs). But Sarah Paulson’s Marcia Clark is the beating heart of the show. She shines as the embattled prosecutor trying to put Simpson in jail for good. The real Marcia Clark, who has since become a novelist, has been notably conflicted about the show’s existence. She sat down with Slate to talk on camera about her feelings about the show. “For me it’s not entertainment. It’s very tough, very painful. It was a nightmare that wouldn’t end for 15 months,” she tells Slate. Clark says that the evidence didn’t resonate with the jury. “The jury was not impressed with the domestic violence evidence,” Clark says in the video. “Nevertheless, that’s the motive. We have to present the case we have, not the case we wish we had.” The interview is full of information. She calls Ron Goldman “the unfortunate innocent bystander,” talks about the trauma of the trial, and the shifting realities of race in America. Clark comes across as a noble defender of innocents on the show. Her comments on the video show a person probably tired of thinking about the same thing for the past two decades.