"We can just dye his hair" - Former Clipper Blake Griffin jokes about 'Clipped' questionable casting choice
When the actors playing key individuals involved in Donald Sterling's tenure with the LA Clippers for FX's "Clipped" TV series were revealed, some NBA fans weren't pleased. However, it wasn't just the fans, as six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin shared the same sentiment regarding the questionable casting decisions.
Castings for a docuseries can be tricky, especially when viewers have a clear picture of what the people look like in real life. This show features several appearances from the Clippers and other NBA players from that period.
Griffin commented on the actor portraying himself on the "Pardon My Take" podcast, joking about the efforts casting made to find someone who looks like him.
"I think he sent like a submission tape and they were like 'We can just dye his hair right?'" Griffin said. "That was it. ... I've just seen a bunch of like pictures." (1:24:28)
Austin Scott, known previously for his role as Willie Earl in the 2022 film "A Jazzman's Blues" is playing the former Clippers forward.
FX aired the first episode of Clipped on June 4 and the season finale on July 2 and received a strong 88% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, fan reception on the website is a bit weaker--64%.
Former Clippers guard shared his reaction to the FX show
In his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," former Clippers star Chris Paul had an interesting reaction to the "Clipped" series.
"Me and my wife watched the first episode and it's kind of cringy," Paul said. "Honestly, because you got somebody who's telling their vantage point of ... one perspective. I saw my wife kicking it with Donald Sterling's wife and I was like, 'What? That ain't never happened.'"
From Paul's perspective, it was "cringy" to see the events from Donald Sterling's era re-enacted for television, as the memory remained fresh for him. It was also a different feeling to see certain events depicted in the show that weren't based on anything factual.
However, the former Clippers floor general acknowledged that the production process of shows and movies involves having certain liberties taken to provide their dramatic takes on particular real-life events. Be that as it may, it wasn't enough for Paul to avoid that weird feeling while watching the show.
Similar to Blake Griffin, the story featured in the TV series was a point in their lives that they had to go through and get past. After Sterling's racist remarks came to light, it marked a low light in the NBA franchise and a time of sensitivity for the league.