Marcia Clark is totally not playing out her revenge fantasy

In early 2016, with no discernible anniversary pegs or explanations, two excellent big-deal shows about O.J. Simpson appeared on TV.

One was a five-part documentary from ESPN called “O.J.: Made in America.” And the other was a drama on FX called “The People versus O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Sarah Paulson won an Emmy playing the lead prosecutor in the case, Marcia Clark. It was not a moment the real Marcia Clark cared to revisit.

“It was the most horrible experience of my life,” Clark says.

Clark was already a successful prosecutor, but she became famous for losing a case that seemed like a slam-dunk. And in the process she was slagged by the media — mocked for her clothing and hair, called shrill, strident, emotional — classic sexism. But the 2016 O.J. Simpson resurgence had an unexpected effect on Clark — she became a feminist icon for young women who weren’t really aware of the trial when it happened.

“It’s nice, personally, of course,” she says. “But it’s nice to me on a much bigger level … It’s kind of an awakening, it’s a new era where it’s OK for women to be tough, it’s OK for women to be strong, outspoken. We’re not there yet, but it’s better.”

Kurt Andersen talks with Marcia Clark about her new TV show, “The Fix,” which is about an LA prosecutor who loses the trial of the century, but is brought back into the case when it’s suspected the man has killed again. Revenge fantasy? Maybe.

In honor of her new TV-lawyer show, Clark walks us through a playlist of her favorite TV lawyers.

“The Fix” airs Monday nights on ABC.

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