Wrong said Simpson’s so-called fictionalized account was “jaw-dropping.”
“I couldn’t turn away,” he said. “In a way, it’s a little bit car crash television. You know, why would you do it, if you were him? It’s riveting. It was a little eerie to be inside his head for so many hours, just listening to the stream of consciousness come out of his mouth.”
Wrong said he hopes the interview will give new insight into Simpson’s mind as we approach the 24th anniversary of the shocking massacre.
“I think it’s a fascinating contribution to a subject that people have shown an abiding interest in,” he explained. “We’re taking you inside the mind of O.J. Simpson where nobody has ever been.
“It kind of adds to that pantheon for those people who remain fascinated by this case… I think this case is part of the social history of the United States. For better or worse.”
And the special doesn’t just touch on that fateful night. On camera, Simpson described Nicole as an insecure woman who stressed about her weight, was confrontational, frequently went under the knife to boost her self-esteem and seemed more interested in dedicating her existence to their children rather than working on their marriage.
The special also highlighted several 911 calls made by a noticeably distressed Nicole, who pleaded with dispatchers. Photos reveal how she was allegedly beaten by her famous husband before her death.
“The one thing that hurts me as much as anything in this – aside from being considered a murderer – is being a batterer,” claimed Simpson.
“You see a very dysfunctional relationship,” reflected Wrong. “A very tortured one in which he had the power. He had the wealth, he had the celebrity. And he had the physical power… There’s no debate that domestic violence was front and center in that relationship.”
Interest in Simpson has been renewed in recent years thanks to projects like the Oscar-winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America” and the FX miniseries “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.”
Simpson is currently a free man, having been released from prison in October 2017 after nine years over an armed robbery charge in Las Vegas.
While he was exonerated for the murders of Nicole and Goldman, a civil suit later found him liable for their deaths and forced him to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the victims’ families.
Wrong isn’t surprised Simpson continues to be such a popular subject. “He sucks you in, O.J.,” said Wrong. “He’s charismatic, charming. At the same time, there’s something a little manic, a little disturbing.”
“O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?” airs Sunday, March 11 at 8 p.m. on FOX.