NAACP Image Award-nominated actress Keesha Sharp is best known for her comedic performances on hit television series like “Girlfriends,” and “Everybody Hates Chris” and classic films like Are We There Yet? and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?. Sharp is switching gears in 2016 as she takes on a new dramatic role as Dale Mason Cochran in the FX Original Limited-Series, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story:” based on the book The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin. In the 10-episode series, Sharp plays the wife of O.J. Simpson’s outspoken defense attorney, Johnnie Cochran played by Courtney B. Vance. Rolling out spoke to Sharp to get the inside scoop on what is was like to work with the “dream team” cast, how she got in-tune with her character and her thoughts on the first episode.
Catch “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on FX.
You typically play roles in comedy films, what was it like playing a more dramatic character like Dale Mason Cochran?
Well, my initial thought when they first called about it was I don’t look anything like her. As an actor, you are supposed to feel like you can do everything because you can. It doesn’t matter that I don’t look like her. What matters is that they picked me for the role. This is Ryan Murphy, so I was excited. Everything was a yes, yes, yes for this project.
I have done a lot of comedy, which I love. I don’t play as much drama roles as I would like. It is one of those things where the entertainment industry likes to see us being funny. We don’t get a lot of chances to be dramatic and show those parts of us. Getting into the role, I researched everything I could for Dale. There is just not a lot of information. She is really private. The information I did find I wanted to sit in it and figure out what this means about her. She was an executive before she met Johnnie and gave that up when she met him. I tried to be as authentic as I can. I am very serious about my craft. Being authentic is everything to me.
Did you reach out to Dale Cochran or anyone close to her to help you get more familiar with your character?
I didn’t. I wanted to meet her but I wanted to do so after we were done. It doesn’t come across as authentic because you are trying to portray someone else. I understood the producers wanting us to stay away from trying to be someone else. I was OK with that. I did find out a lot of information by Googling what she did before, because that was going to tell me a little bit about her.
The lawyers and attorneys working for Simpson were considered to be the “dream team,” but you are definitely working with a dream team of your own with the cast of the show. What was your experience like working with Cuba Gooding Jr. and John Travolta?
It was so incredible. Especially for me, working with Ryan Murphy, Anthony Hemingway, John Singleton. It was really an awesome experience to see them working and also directing. To be able to watch their process and with Ryan Murphy being such an incredible creator was amazing. He would see things that I wouldn’t see. It was a learning experience. I worked a lot with Courtney and in terms of Dale, she didn’t hang out with the “dream team,” per say. Only with the final verdict, she was there in the office and around them. The intimacy is what most people don’t know about because it’s not what we saw during the trial between Dale and Johnnie. The man that we saw and the powerful lawyer he was had to do with the strong woman behind him. She would always encourage him when he was down. She was that kind of woman, holding him up. I loved working with Courtney. We got along so well, it was as if we had known each other for years. It was the perfect combination. They did a really great job casting us together. It was a dream team. Ryan did a fantastic job of putting this cast together.
There are several historic events that took place during the time of this case in 1995 pertaining to police brutality and domestic violence. Does it make you think not much has changed?
Absolutely. This is another interesting aspect of Ryan choosing to do this case. It is interesting to see that nothing has changed since then. The only thing that has changed is that we have cell phones that record and that is why we know what we know. This stuff has been going on for years. This kind of brutality has been happening since slavery. Nowadays we get to tape it and say, “No, he didn’t do that because I have it right here.” Sadly, with the Rodney King incident two years prior, they got off even with that being recorded. Things are changing because there is this kind of boiling happening. People are just tired of it and not just Black people. Things are changing slowly, but it is sad that this case could have taken place last year.
What was your reaction when you saw the Bronco chase almost 25 years ago?
I remember it as clear as day. I was working at a theme park where I was a singer back then. All of us musicians were in this green room and we had the television on. Everybody was glued to the television and I remember thinking that can’t be him in that car. There is no way O.J. is running away in that car and then they said he had a gun. There was no traffic, just this white Bronco with all these cop cars around it. Ryan did a splendid job showing that this past episode. It felt like we were back in 1995. I felt like I was that girl watching that on television in the green room. I remember where it was and I don’t think I will ever forget that.
Cuba Gooding Jr. spoke about how tapping into this dark, dramatic role affected his personal life off camera. Would you agree?
Courtney did such an amazing job and looked so much like him. I really felt that when we were together that I was Dale and he was Johnnie. We were fighting for a cause. The cause was trying to get O.J. off for a murder but there was something bigger that Johnnie was fighting for. His whole legacy was about fighting for the underdog and the rights of Black men and women. This was more than just about the murder case, this was about race. Being a part of that on set and then you go home and see someone has been shot again. It’s just hard to let it go and I wish we still had someone like Johnnie Cochran around fighting for those men and women that are being victimized. You go home and you are still thinking about the case and the racism he endured during that time. I would agree with Cuba on that.
What kind of emotions were you feeling when you watched the first episode?
It was one of those moments of euphoria. We didn’t see everything because all we saw were scenes. Everything was so secretive. When you see it all together you’re like, “Wow! This is what the whole piece looks like!” I can’t wait for everyone to see it. The scale of it is so big and the actors that are involved are doing a great job in portraying these people in the most beautiful and honest way that they can. It was one of those moments when I realized I am a part of an incredible work of art.
