Summary
FX’s new limited series,Clipped, dropped its first two episodes on June 4 with new installments releasing every Tuesday. Based on Ramona Shelburne’s podcast, the show goes behind the scenes of the racist remarks ofNBA owner, Donald Sterling, and explains how his behavior was exposed to the public. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Ed O’Neill, Cleopatra Coleman, Jacki Weaver, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Kelly AuCoin, Rich Sommers, Corbin Bernsen, Clifton Davis, and Harriet Sansom Harris.
Laurence Fishburne, who plays Doc Rivers, was drawn toClippeddue to the honest way it addresses matters such as privilege and power. He limited the time he spent listening toThe Sterling Affairs, so as not to be overly influenced by the podcast, itself. While there are many potential takeaways from the events, the actor admits that his goal is to deliver a believable performance that allows the audience to form their own opinions.
All 15 NBA Players In Hulu’s Clipped Show Explained
Clipped features many portrayals of NBA players from various generations and replicates the 2014 playoff matchup between the Warriors & the Clippers.
Screen Rantinterviews Fishburne about joiningthe cast ofClipped, portraying a real NBA coach, and his upcoming project with Adam Driver.
Fishburne Met The Real Doc Rivers While Filming Clipped
Screen Rant: You’ve been in over one hundred projects, so what really spoke to you aboutClippedas a person, as well as an actor?
Laurence Fishburne: It was the writing, really. I was aware of the story, but I’m not a sports fan, so it wasn’t something I was following closely. But there’s a sensitivity and intelligence, a nuanced kind of honesty about racism, and sexism, and privilege, and power, and it’s all done with great humor. It was all written with such great humor. And the characters, being that they were real people, it’s just really fascinating. I wanted to jump into this sandbox and play.
How familiar were you withThe Sterling Affairspodcast before joining the series?
Laurence Fishburne: The Sterling Affairs podcast—I listened a little bit, just a little bit. I didn’t want to listen to too much, because I thought it might influence me in such a way that wouldn’t be healthy. I really just worked from the scripts for the series.
Doc Rivers is on board as a consultant. Did you get to speak with him about your portrayal of the character?
Laurence Fishburne: I didn’t talk to him so much about my portrayal. I just wanted to meet him and get a feel for who he was as an individual. Luckily, he’s alive and well. I’ve played some people who were real people in the past who weren’t alive, so the opportunity to meet with him was really great and helpful. We had some mutual friends that put us together.
We spoke a little bit on the phone briefly, and then I invited him to a little party I had on Labor Day at my house. He arrived and got into a debate with another friend of mine about the late Bill Russell, who was a great basketball player, who passed away during that period of time when we were shooting the show. And so I was able to observe him talking about the sport that he loved, talking about a great athlete, activist, man, and that gave me some real insight into who he was.
Fishburne Believes That Perception Is At The Heart Of Clipped
For those who have not yet had a chance to see the show, can you set us up and talk about Doc and the role that he plays?
Laurence Fishburne: It’s basically about the moment when Donald Sterling, who was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made some terribly racist remarks, and it was recorded by his then girlfriend. And those remarks got leaked out into the internet and social media world. As a result, he was forced to sell his basketball team. I play Doc Rivers, who was a basketball player for the Clippers back in the 90s, and then has become the coach.
Now, he’s tasked with really dealing with this situation and helping the players deal with the situation because it becomes a whole media frenzy thing. It was quite controversial when it was happening. It’s a story that’s told through Doc Rivers, as the coach of this team, and the intersection of race and sex, and wealth and power, and privilege and entertainment, and social media. Perception is really at the heart of all of it.
You’re playing a coach here, and it made me curious about your own history with basketball. Did you ever need to pick up the sport for a past role?
Laurence Fishburne: No. I’m not a sports fan. I’m athletic, but I’ve never been an athlete. I’ve never played team sports. The first film I was ever in was a movie called Cornbread, Earl and Me. I had to shoot a few baskets in that movie, but that’s the extent of my basketball career.
What do you hope people take away after learning more about what happened on the Clippers team?
Laurence Fishburne: I always hesitate to answer that question because, really, my job is about meeting the audience’s expectations. And I know the audience’s expectation is that we deliver performances that are believable and entertaining. And after that, it’s not about my expectations. My expectations don’t matter. It doesn’t matter what I want the audience to take. What matters is, do I deliver to them what they expect?
Clippedis a limited series, but you have a lot of other projects in various stages of production. Is there anything you can share about what’s upcoming?
Laurence Fishburne: What will hopefully get released, I don’t know if it has distribution right now, but I just was at the Cannes Film Festival with Francis Ford Coppola with this film called Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel. Hopefully, that’ll get some distribution and people will get to see that very soon.
About Clipped
FX’s Clipped takes you behind the scenes of a notorious NBA owner’s racist remarks, captured on a tape heard around the world. Based on the hit ESPN 30 for 30 podcast The Sterling Affairs, this limited series charts the collision between a dysfunctional basketball organization and even less functional marriage, and the precipitating tape’s impact on an ensemble of characters striving to win against the backdrop of the most cursed team in the league.
Check back soon for our other interviews with theClippedcast and crew:
Clipped
Cast
“Clipped” takes viewers inside the Los Angeles Clippers' organization during one of its most controversial periods. The series follows Coach Doc Rivers, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, as he navigates the fallout from owner Donald Sterling’s racist remarks. The scandal, captured on tape and broadcast globally, sparks a fierce power struggle involving Sterling, his wife Shelly, and his ambitious assistant V. Stiviano. As Rivers works to keep his team united and focused on winning, the show explores the broader implications of Sterling’s actions and the quest for accountability and change within the sports world.
