Self Made Shows the Rise of America's First Female Self-Made Millionaire
Walker’s remarkable life—she died in 1919 at age 51—took her from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the streets of St. Louis to a bustling factory in Indianapolis and, finally, to a lavish estate in Irvington, New York. Doughty, a Canada-based designer who also worked on Suits, and her team conceived of all these places and time periods over the course of three months, as the production was filmed exclusively in and around Ontario. “All the different eras and places that Madam Walker went to had an impact on all the sets and locations,” she explains. “It was definitely fun to create. In that sense, it was an art-department dream project.”
Self Made opens in St. Louis, as a then struggling Walker stands in the middle of a busy open market hawking tins of hair-growth formula to passersby. Doughty found similar urban architecture in Ontario—taller buildings were added in via special effects—and added signage, dressings, and dirt roads. Local car collectors, meanwhile, drove to the location in their own vintage automobiles, many serving as extras in the show. “They showed up in these fancy cars and the wardrobe team outfitted them so they could drive up and down,” she says. “It was really cool.” Walker’s tenement building was constructed in a studio.
The entrepreneur, her husband, and her daughter soon settle in Indianapolis, where she turns her home into a makeshift salon and business. “She ended up in an opulent home, because at the time many rich, stately homes were abandoned and sold for cheap,” Doughty explains. “So she invented this amazing place and started developing her company.” Filming was done inside “a very beautiful house” in Cambridge, Ontario, with era-appropriate furniture brought in from antique markets. “We wanted to make it look warm and full of life, because it’s an extension of her character,” she notes.
Indeed, no matter the setbacks, Walker never lost sight of her goal of a full-service hair-care factory. In the show, she dreams about her own space in fantastical singing-and-dancing interstitials, which, Doughty explains, “we wanted to make as bright and colorful as we could because these are her thoughts.” (Think pink, and lots of it.) When Walker eventually opens that first factory, it looks super-stark by design: “She’s starting with a blank slate. Then we added in vanities with ribbons and boxes to show a theatrical contrast because she had all these whimsical ideas.” The factory’s offscreen location is a decrepit building in the community of Dundas.
s to New York in 1918, she’s a bona fide mogul thanks to her Wonderful Hair Grower, Oil Glossine, and Hot Comb Kit, plus her salons across the country. Only a one-of-a-kind mansion will do—and that would be a 34-room Italianate-style estate complete with pool and fountain, dubbed Villa Lewaro. The real home still stands in Irvington, and was declared a National Treasure in 2014. Interestingly, its current owner is Richelieu Dennis, the head of Sundial Brands—the parent company of Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture. Doughty was able to look to the property as inspiration for the show's version, filmed at the lush Parkwood Estate attraction in Oshawa.
Vintage cars are indicative of the time period. This one is parked outside the home which served as Walker's Indianapolis house.
Photo: Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
Walker’s pièce de résistance, however, was her palatial salon and residence, i.e. the Dark Tower, located in the heart of Harlem. “It’s my favorite piece because it represents the pinnacle of her success,” Doughty says. The location was constructed inside a studio, and the art design team even custom-made the vintage light-purple wallpaper. The set was so extravagant, Doughty says, “Octavia walked into that and went ‘Oh yeah!’”
The Madam herself would likely approve of the finished pieces—not to mention all the hard work and attention to detail. “It was certainly a challenging project,” says Doughty. “But everybody was passionate about it and it really came through in the end, which is always wonderful.” AD article 2020