Jae C. Hong/AFP/Getty Images; FXSomething happened to Cuba Gooding Jr. on set of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The Oscar winner, who plays O.J. Simpson on the series, stopped by The Steve Harvey Show and admitted he had a breakdown on set of the hit FX drama.
"As I did this research, specifically one scene in particular: when we shot the scene at the funeral when O.J. kisses Nicole's corpse. I remember we broke for lunch and I went into my trailer and I couldn't stop weeping," Gooding Jr. told host Steve Harvey. "I literally had a nervous breakdown and I said I think I finally grieved for that family, I think it hit me that both those families were shattered and I just felt extreme guilt."
Gooding Jr. previously delivered a message to the victims' families via E! News.
"I just hope that they find some peace because I can't imagine what they're going through," he told us. "You know, when I signed on to this project, it was because Ryan Murphy was doing it and I want to work with real filmmakers and that first and foremost was my reasoning for accepting this role. Prior to this offering, I had an offer to do a film based on O.J.'s innocence and I passed. So, here I am. So, I don't pretend to try to understand what any of this means to either the Goldmans or the Browns, but I'm an actor. I was asked to do a role. Hopefully I brought some truth to it and that will help in the process of understanding the circus that was this time in America."
The actor told Harvey how he first reacted to the verdict when it was originally read in 1995, admitting he "cheered" and had also faced discrimination by the Los Angeles Police Department. Click play on the video above for more.
The Steve Harvey Show airs weekdays, check your local listings for times. The People v. O.J. Simpson airs Tuesdays, 10 p.m. on FX.