While the people they are portraying are outrageously famous, the child actors behind the Kardashian kids in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story are newcomers to TV. The FX series tells the story of the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. After a lengthy trial, the real life Simpson was later acquitted of the murder charges. However, according to The New York Times, he was found liable in the resulting 1997 civil suit and ordered to pay "$25 million in punitive damages to the families." But, the FX series also focuses on some of the not-so-public aspects of the trial. Viewers have caught glimpses of the young versions of Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Rob of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the first two episodes. And, their appearances have me wondering how much the child actors in American Crime Story look like the actual young Kardashians.
The actors behind the Kardashians in The People v. O.J. Simpson are Isabella Balbi (Kourtney), Veronica Galvez (Kim), Morgan E. Bastin (Khloe), and Nicolas Bechtel (Rob). But, according to TV Line, creator Ryan Murphy said at the TCA tour they're not going to play a huge role in the series. "In the 10 episodes, there are over 400 scenes that were written. Of those 400 scenes, only four or five of them involve the Kardashian children," Murphy said. "That gives you a grasp on how important we felt they were to the story."
Yet fans of Keeping Up with the Kardashians will simply — and quite reasonably — not accept the fact that the Kardashians are not the center of attention of the series. Although Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Rob aren't pivotal to the plot of American Crime Story, those of us who are fascinated with the family clan can't help but love every little, fan-pandering instance the family is shown on the series. (Can we talk about that Kardashian name chanting led by Kim in the Feb. 9 episode?!)
At the time of Nicole Brown Simpson's funeral on June 17, 1994, the ages of the Kardashian kids were that Kourtney was 15 (born April 18, 1979), Kim was 13 (born Oct. 21, 1980), Khloe was 9 (born June 27, 1984), and Rob was 7 (born March 17, 1987). So, let's see how the Kardashian kid actors from The People v. O.J. Simpson compare to the real-life Kardashian kids (not to be confused with their clothing line, Kardashian Kids).
Kourtney & Kim — Part 1
In Real-Life:
In real-life, the above gif shows Kim and Kourtney outside of Brown's funeral with their mom.
The Actors:
In the premiere episode of The People v. O.J. Simpson, all four Kardashian children were featured very briefly (but with a convenient name callout by Selma Blair's Kris) playing at the back of the church during Nicole's funeral. American Crime Story clearly paid particular attention to what Kourtney and Kim were wearing and have seemed to accurately recreate their outfits, even if it's hard to see if the young actresses look exactly like their real-life counterparts.
Kourtney & Kim — Part 2
In Real-Life:
With the two oldest Kardashian kids born so close together, the pair has almost been inseparable since Kim's birth. The ladies are looking like they were inspired by the '90s grunge look in their casual sweatshirts in this photo Kourtney shared on Instagram from their teenage years.
The Actors:
Both Balbi and Galvez were made to look more like young girls in bright colors than how Kourtney and Kim actually looked when they were teenagers. While actress Galvez doesn't particularly look like Kim, there is definitely a similar appearance and she is even rocking the bob hairstyle Kim had back then. Balbi is a bit of a stretch as Kourtney, but she does have similar facial features to the oldest Kardashian.
Khloe
In Real-Life:
Although she may be younger than nine years old in this photo, Khloe is adorable with her curly hair alongside her mom at school.
The Actor:
As the three sisters stroll together, actress Bastin who plays Khloe (in the center) definitely emulates Khloe's curls and penchant for hair accessories that she displayed in Kris' throwback photo.
Rob (& Khloe Again)
In Real-Life:
The least-seen Kardashian is rocking a mullet, while older sister Khloe rolls her eyes in this embarrassing, yet hilarious Flashback Friday photo that Kris posted on Instagram. (Seriously, moms on social media are a dangerous thing.) Rob looks just like a regular little kid while cruising on the water.
The Actor:
Bechtel is an adorable little actor (especially sans mullet), but he doesn't look exactly like the equally adorable Rob Kardashian.
The Whole Gang
In Real-Life:
As for the whole family, Huffington Post shared a photo of Kris and her kids from 1995. And, be sure to check out the two other photos of the Kardashian-Jenners in the 1990s from the site.
The Actors:
Even though the above photo from American Crime Story takes place in 1994, the actors appear just so much younger than their real counterparts in the 1995 photo. Even though the photo Huffington Post shared is only from one year after Brown's funeral, it appears all of the Kardashian kids grew significantly (especially Khloe), which wasn't reflected in the casting at all. Overall, it seemed American Crime Story really wanted to cement the fact that the Kardashians were children at the time of the crime, rather than realistically portray the famous family. But, it would be hard to find actors who look just as fab as Kim and co., let's be real.
Images: FX (3); Giphy
