Cuba Gooding Jr. admitted that playing O.J. Simpson in season one of the series was a disturbing experience, and it took him a month after filming wrapped to feel free of the role.
During an appearance on The View (1997), real-life prosecutor Marcia Clark disclosed that, though she found the experience of watching season one in general quite painful on reflection, she was truly honored to see how well Sarah Paulson portrayed her. She was also very complimentary of producer Ryan Murphy for underscoring the extent of the sexism that she had experienced throughout the trial.
Sterling K. Brown, who won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for playing prosecutor Christopher Darden in season one, made many attempts to contact him and even accidentally called his cell phone at 3 am thinking it was a work number. However, Darden did not wish to take part in the series. Brown then contacted Darden's daughter instead, who was happy to help.
Sarah Paulson refused to watch the first season in which she played Marcia Clark. During her acceptance after winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, Paulson publicly apologized to Clark for judging her based on the media's portrayal of her and had Clark's name engraved on the Emmy.
Much of the actual material evidence for season one was strictly off-limits to the production, including Mark Fuhrman's tapes and details of conversations between the lawyers.