Producer Brad Simpson Didn't Think John Travolta Would Do the Series: "I was dubious," says the executive producer. "When Nina [Jacobson, executive producer] and Ryan [Murphy] told me they were having lunch with him, I actually did the thing where you go, 'That's great,' and you're smiling, but in your head, you're going, 'There's no way John Travolta is going to sign on for this.'"
Ryan Murphy Was Responsible for Getting John Travolta to Say Yes: EP Nina Jacobson took old friend Travolta out to lunch in Brentwood with Ryan Murphy, and it was Murphy who helped seal the deal. "They had great chemistry," reveals Jacobson. "Ryan is such a true fan [of his], and there was no way John could miss that. And Ryan, as a creator and as a director, has an extraordinary reputation with actors. Actors love him. He takes incredibly great care with their performances and with giving them the time they need to feel safe doing so." Even so, Travolta took another few months before he said yes.
Why the Series Opens With the L.A. Riots: Creator and writer Scott Alexander explained that the decision to start the series with the Rodney King beating and L.A. riots was because, "at the end of the day, this is what the case is about."
Why Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s Casting Was a "Home Run": According to creator and writer Larry Karaszewski, "What was important to us was that in Jeffrey Toobin's book, he uses a term that O.J.'s main job was being O.J. He was this funny, nice celebrity, so the reason people couldn't believe he committed murder was that O.J. couldn't do that. The great thing about Cuba is, Cuba couldn't do that. We wanted the iconography being so perfect that people would think, 'He's such a good guy, how could he do that?' as opposed to casting someone who was more an action guy. Cuba was the first person cast, and I thought that was a home run right off the bat."
But Cuba Doesn't Look Like O.J. the Football Player: According to creator and writer Scott Alexander, "Someone at one point said, 'Wait, can [Cuba] play a football player?' We went, 'Wait a second, he won the Academy Award for playing a football player!' So who are we to judge? One of the greatest performances in cinema history is him playing a football player [in Jerry Maguire]."
