By Mike McCarthy
We all had our own thoughts on the OJ trial back in the 90’s and if the lawyers did the right thing, well Dale Godboldo is living out what really happened. Dale is starring alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the hit show American Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson. Dale has been in the entertainment industry for two decades, all starting with the Mickey Mouse Club and moving on to be on Thor, Lakeview Terrace and others. Philanthropy is a major part of Dale’s life, including working with Chelsea Clinton and many other powerful philanthropists on several different projects. You can see American Crime Story on Tuesday nights at 10 on FX.
Wingman Magazine: Actor, philanthropist, singer, producer… all of these would be amazing on their own. How do you keep yourself grounded when you have all of this going on around you?
Dale Godboldo: I got a momma and a daddy that will whoop me upside the head if I don’t stay grounded HAHA. For me it’s just about staying true to who I am. I only have one time on this planet, and I want to make sure that time is spent on what I care about. These are really the three pillars that fulfill me, outside of my personal life, which is extremely fulfilled. Professionally, acting, producing and philanthropy, I call them the three pillars of my professional life.
Wingman Magazine: Your 1st episode of American Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson was on the 9th. With this being one of the most watched, if not THE most watched trials of our generation, how did you prepare for your role as Carl E. Douglas?
Dale Godboldo: To prepare for Carl E., there were a lot of YOUTUBE videos, and I read a lot of books by people either directly associated with the case or peripherally. So I was able to get a sense of Carl E. and where he sat amongst the trial. I also did some of my own research on Car and got a sense of what his personal journey is. I didn’t get a chance to meet Carl before or during production. We were actually advised by production not to reach out to our counterparts. I did just meet him recently, which was an extraordinary experience. The thing that was unique about Carl that I wanted to wrap my head around was that his approach to this trial, in my opinion was a little more unique than anyone else’s. We at home all had our own theories if OJ did it or didn’t do it, did he know who did it. For Carl, and what I really wanted to focus on, was that any man is innocent until proven without a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. He believed in the judicial system and that that justice is served within that system, when both sides present their best case. He believed that the prosecution didn’t present their best case, and at that point they must acquit. He truly believed that OJ was innocent, particularly given that after spending so much time with OJ, he didn’t think it was possible. I won’t say that it’s 100% unique but what I tried to play was specific feelings of this case, which were shaded differently than most of the other people involved with the trial. Getting into that mindset of that man, who has since been named multiple times the top attorney in the nation was a lot of fun, and fascinating.
Wingman Magazine: Do you remember what you were doing when that white Bronco was on the freeway? Or when the trial started?
Dale Godboldo: When the Bronco was on tv I was watching the game. I was young and didn’t have a personal connection with OJ, and I was a little irritated when it switched over to the Bronco chase. Eventually I did get a sense of who he was, I knew who he was from the commercials and all of the records. I knew more about Emmitt Smith and Herschel Walker, not OJ. It was during the time when I was on the Mickey Mouse club. So during the trial, we would all huddle around the television and the TVs in our dressing rooms between scenes. We were exposed to this conversation about race, about celebrities and everything. It seeped into my mind in a unique way, in that environment and really forced to have those conversations with kids your age. I think it helps form you, into who you are, moving forward.
Wingman Magazine: You are currently producing a series of films called “Flyy Girl” Can we assume that this has to do with the Flyy Girls that were part of In Living Color?
Dale Godboldo: Something completely different than In Living Color. In the early 90’s there was an author, known as Omar Tyree who wrote a best-selling book, called Flyy Girl. It was really the first novel to really cover a coming of age story, about a journey of a young African American girl. She wasn’t necessarily in the projects or anything like that, more like middle income. It was the first time in the modern age that a book like this was written. It sold well over a million copies and launched the whole new genre of books called Urban literature. Up until a few years ago it came into about a $300 million event. That book became a monumental book for young African American girls in the 90’s. Even to this day it is still some African American women’s favorite book and it changed lives. When I was approached about eight years ago to work with my partner Arthur Wiley to adapt it into a feature length film, I jumped at it. We worked several years going through various platforms like a series or a mini-series, at one point we were just going to do a web series. Ultimately we decided on a feature length film. We got a call from Codeblack Films, which is owned by Lionsgate and said we wanted to do it. I jumped on it because I believed that Codeblack understood the African American community and how important this book is to that community. And Lionsgate, being a powerhouse of distribution would be able to give us the platform that it deserved. We have Sanaa Lathan as an executive producer and star. Geoffrey Fletcher, who won the Oscar for ‘Precious’, and Effie Brown to be an executive producer. We took our time and partnered with an amazing distributor and they put together an extraordinary production team that can hopefully produce a franchise based on these characters.
Wingman Magazine: There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Oscars and having very few to no nominees. As an African American in the entertainment business…what is your thought on the whole subject? How could they change the process to improve it?
Dale Godboldo: I think what Cheryl Boone Isaacs (President of the Academy) is doing is wonderful. It’s a fantastic first step. But our focus really needs to be on making sure African American stories are produced by studios. The Oscars are really at the end of the chain. It all starts at the executives who green-light the pictures. We also need to be as proactive as possible by going to the movies and supporting our films on opening weekend.
Wingman Magazine: Do you watch all of your projects as a way to see if you have any tics or anything that you want to change?
Dale Godboldo: HA! Always. I don’t know of an actor that wouldn’t want to go back and tweak a bit. But you learn to let go. You prepare as much as possible, and then give it to God on the day.
Wingman Magazine: The career of an actor can either be very short or very long. You have endured 25+ years so far…when looking at a project, what makes you pick the one on the left as opposed to the one on the right?
Dale Godboldo: It all depends on where I am at that point in my life. My choices are always dictated by what feels right at the time. With that said, I always try and pick projects that at the end of the day, I can say I was proud to be a part of that. But the biggest drivers, I think, are the director and producers. In the case of The People V. OJ Simpson, it was all of the above. I was excited about the opportunity to use my art to join such an important conversation about who we are as a nation. Plus, Ryan Murphy is one of my favorite artists working today. I knew that he would produce a project that would rise to the appropriate level of discourse, while simultaneously breaking new ground creatively. It was a perfect storm of opportunity. Frankly, I would have paid Ryan to be in it.
Wingman Magazine: Your philanthropic projects are inspirational. Tell us about Project: Now and how we can help spread the word for you?
Dale Godboldo: Project:NOW was launched at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative, and is comprised of innovative literacy programs for children and entrepreneurship programs for young adults. We also provide scholarships for college. We’re committed to rapidly addressing the educational needs of youth in underserved communities hit hard by the devastating effects of poverty and incarceration, stressing the urgency to take action NOW.
Project: NOW was formed by my non-profit, Always In The Club Foundation (www.AlwaysInTheClub.org), as an initiative in partnership with The US Dream Academy (www.USDreamAcademy.org) and The Arthur Wylie Foundation (AW-Foundation.org). Project:NOW’s primary job is to raise much needed funding to support the ongoing programs launched by our partners.
Our website is www.ProjectNOWForYouth.org, where people can read about the work we’re doing, and spread the word. To make a donation, folks can click on the Always In The Club Foundation logo/link, or visit www.AlwaysInTheClub.org directly. We’re passionate about this mission, and we appreciate any support we can get. You can also follow us on Twitter at @PNInitiative, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProjectNowForYouth.
Wingman Magazine: So many movies and tv shows are being rebooted…including the just announced Macgyver. What is your thought on reboots or remakes?
Dale Godboldo: Love them! When done right, of course. I was a HUGE Macgyver fan and I’m looking forward to seeing this one. Plus, it’s being produced by an old friend of mine and by Lionsgate, who I’m currently working with, so I’m excited to see what they do with it.