Exclusive Interview with The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story’s Angel Parker

Angel Parker, known from her days on Disney’s Lab Rats, watched a production of Guy and Dolls in high school and decided those were the people she wanted to hang out — be friends with. She now stars as Shawn Chapman on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

I got a chance to talk to Parker about how she prepared for such a different role, and why she thinks people will find this show so compelling in comparison to all the other courtroom dramas out there. She even shared with me her most memorable moment on set.

Parker played Tasha Davenport for four years on the Disney show, Lab Rats, and will now be seen playing Shawn Chapman, who was part of Simpson’s “dream team” of lawyers. Parker explained that there was very big difference between the two shows and the sets. “We laughed every day,” she said in regard to her time on Lab Rats. “I love them.” She explained that just the tones of the two shows were as close as night and day. “Each day on Lab Rats, I’m just trying to figure out how to make it funny, how are we going to make everyone laugh.” Whereas on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, she really had to play to the honesty of the situation, focusing on “where are we in this moment, and what are we trying to portray, and will the audience understand what we’re doing.”

Though she auditioned for the role like any other actor, this was a project Parker was particularly excited to be a part of. “Anything that Ryan Murphy touches is just of the highest caliber. It’s any actor’s dream to work with him at some point,” Parker explained. “To tell a real story, is very, very interesting to me. To play a real person is always a challenge that an actor wants to have at some point in their career. So, there was nothing about this project that made me hesitate at all. The subject matter is the only cause for pause, because it’s real life people; because two people lost their lives. But we tell these stories all the time as actors. This is just a recent history, so I believe that it touches the core in a lot of people.”

Parker also said she did her own research for the role, including reading numerous books, and really trying to understand what emotions the characters felt towards certain people and situations. One way she prepared for her role was by sitting down and talking to Chapman herself. “We didn’t discuss too much of the trial — it was funny,” Parker said, remembering. “Of course, I had a few specific questions, but those questions were about relationships. I wanted to know, you know, how she felt about certain people she was working with and how she felt at that time. When the verdict was read, Shawn Chapman broke down in tears in court. It was on camera. You could see her break down. So for one of the defense attorneys to break down, crying — I wanted to know why.”

She went on to say that she and Chapman just really hung out for an evening with a bottle of Rose, and she was able to meeting Chapman’s daughter, who is a fan of Lab Rats. “We were just relating on a human level,” Parker said.

Parker went on to clarify that even after the extensive preparation and research, while filming everyone on set “was learning something new every single day” about the trial. The show will not just focus on the trial, what everyone has already seen.

“We were very, very clear that we were not just going to mimic what everyone had already seen. This is telling the entire story. This is behind the scenes. This is behind the curtain — or behind the judge’s chambers, as they may say.” The trial became very controversial, and some evidence was thrown out. The viewers will get to see how and why that evidence was thrown out, and just how this ended in a non-guilty verdict.

Parker explained that while she was quite young when the trial was happening, her mom watched it every single day. “It was the trial of the century,” she said. “But the trial was not just about O.J. Simpson. The trial was about something much greater.” And so is The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. She means that the trial was also used to expose racism in the police force — which is a topic that is still being spoken about 20 years later, with cases such as Trevon Martin, and #BlackLivesMatter. “I’m excited to hear the conversation after our show.”

As for her most memorable memory on set? Parker thought about it for a second, before chuckling and telling me that it must have been Sarah Paulson rapping Salt & Pepper’s “Shoop” in the middle of an empty courtroom. “It was something. She knew every word.” When I asked if we could see it on a blooper reel, or an extended version, she laughed, and said, “All the cameras were of. It was just for us.”

Well, we can dream!

You can watch Angel Parker on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story premiering this Tuesday, February 2nd at 10/9c on FX.

Find Angel Parker on social media:

Twitter: Follow @angelparker