‘Unfolding Worlds’ and ‘For a New World to Come’
Fox’s ‘Empire’ has strong Houston ties
The hottest new show on television — Fox’s drama “Empire” — follows a rapperturned-mogul, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), as he wheels and deals ruthlessly in the music business — and with his ex-wife (Taraji P. Henson) and three sons.
The soap-opera script is unapologetic, the music is infectious, and the clothes are to die for. Director Lee Daniels (“The Butler” and “Precious”) and screenwriter Danny Strong (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay”) obviously are having fun with this one.
So are the former Houstonians who work on the show. Meet the writer, the costume designer and the artist who helped build this “Empire.” The writer: Attica Locke
Attica Locke, a graduate of Alief Hastings High School and Northwestern University, says being a writer for “Empire” allows her to portray African Americans in a new way.
“When I saw the pilot, I was thrown by the honesty of it,” she said. “(In Hollywood) black people have been portrayed either as the thug or the one with magical qualities, like in ‘The When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdaysWednesdays, 10 a.m.9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 12:15-7 p.m. Sundays; ‘Unfolding’ through May 10; ‘New World’ through July 12 Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; 1001 Bissonnet and 5601 Main Tickets: $7.50-$15; 713-639-7300, mfah.org Green Mile.’ But in reality, we live somewhere in the middle.”
To get insight on the music industry, which is pivotal to the show, Locke and the team of writers met with R&B legend Gladys Knight, who also appears on an early episode, and others to hear their stories of working in the music business. “Gladys Knight was this angel who walked into the room and told us crazy Motown stories,” Locke said. “We listened
really hard. We wanted to make sure we played close attention to the realities of the industry.”
Locke wrote the episode in which Lucious Lyon (Howard) reveals to his family he has ALS.
Though Locke has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years, she still relies on her Houston roots for her writing, whether for television or novels.
Her latest novel, her third, “Pleasantville” (HarperCollins), is based on the mostly AfricanAmerican community of east Houston.
It’s the sequel to her first novel, “Black Water Rising,” which was published in 2009. “The Cutting Season” came out in 2012.
“The story was in me to tell, and the story was always about Houston,” she says.
Locke was a fellow at the Sundance Institute’s Feature Filmmakers Lab and wrote scripts for nearly a decade for Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney, 20th Century Fox, HBO and Dreamworks.
“I was a studio screenwriter and well paid, but I worked on movies that never got made. I felt like I was writing to go to meetings.”
With the growing number of TV dramas in recent years, she knew writing for TV would be her next venture.
“All of the rich character work has moved to TV,” she said.
She loves writing for a rich show like “Empire.”
“It was so big inside me,” she said. “It’s like the boundless energy I felt from my daughter when I was pregnant with her. She was out of control in my body. That’s how I feel about ‘Empire.’ I watch it and get caught up in it.
“I love all the characters in different ways. I think we all see versions of ourselves in each character.”
Her goal was get her father, attorney and former Houston mayoral candidate, Gene Locke, to watch the show.
“And he does, every week,” she said. The costume designer: Rita McGhee
Rita McGhee was living a quiet life, raising a teenage daughter in Friendswood and working as a specialneeds teacher when she got the call to join the new Fox drama “Empire” last spring.
McGhee had worked as a costume designer on films including “What’s Love Got to Do With It” with Angela Bassett and “Jungle Fever” with Wesley Snipes. Most recently, she worked on BET’s series “Reed Between the Lines,” shot in Atlanta.
Living in Friendswood gave her a chance to be closer to her sister who lives in Houston, regularly attend Lakewood Church and enjoy the break from Hollywood.
Once McGhee saw the pilot, she began mulling over ideas in her head.
“I saw that fashion was just as much a part of the show as acting, so my idea was to make it go big and go fabulous,” she said.
McGhee relocated to Chicago where the show is filmed, where she scoured resale shops, online sites and even stores like Target for pieces that represented the “Empire” look. With a limited budget, she worked with two shoppers and a dozen wardrobe staffers to create looks for each character.
Her inspiration, she says, came from the style of 1940s-’50s gangsters and super-glamorous celebrities such as Diana Ross and Mary J. Blige.
McGhee also borrowed one-of-a-kind pieces and furs from Janet Bailey, the former wife of Earth Wind & Fire singer Phillip Bailey, and Monique Mosley, wife of the show’s musical director and producer, Timbaland.
For Cookie Lyon, who is the show’s style star, McGhee went for a boldclassy look, with bright- colored fur and animal prints.
“She’s a boss, a mom, a wife. She comes in boldly wearing her confidence,” McGhee said. “She had to wait 17 years (in prison) to be with her family and has the attitude of ‘I’m taking back my business, my children, my man and my crown.’ It shows in her dress.”
In one episode, Cookie strolls into a family dinner wrapped in a deeppurple fur with only lingerie underneath.
“She’s is still classy,” McGhee said. “Any other young girl in the same look would be ratchet. Cookie is classy, confident and cool, but never ratchet.”
Since this is show’s inaugural season, McGhee is hopeful more designers and brands will be eager to contribute looks for the next season. Maybe even a capsule collection, like the Limited’s “Scandal” line.
“We have a beautiful cast; it helps that they are all good-looking people. And their fashion style evolves with their personality as the show evolves,” she said.
“I don’t normally wear leopard or fur, but I’m motivated to get some for my own wardrobe.” The artist: Michael Savoie
Even the art on the walls has Houston ties.
“Empire” director Lee Daniels discovered Michael Savoie’s work before the show began filming. He had purchased his paintings for his own home.
Savoie, a native of Port Arthur who trained at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, had been working in Houston. (He recently moved to Dallas.)
When Daniels began shooting the pilot last year, he asked Savoie for two paintings for the episode. He has done several more works through the season.
“It’s amazing to be apart of the hottest thing on TV right now,” Savoie said. “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been overwhelming.”
“Empire” showcases Savoie’s work in a grand way. His large portrait of Tianna (Serayah McNeil), a singer on the “Empire” label, dominates her apartment.
“I had to drop everything to get that one done,” he said. “It took me 36 hours straight, but everyone was happy.”
Savoie calls his work “abstract realism. It’s bright, vibrant with a Vogue feeling.”
Savoie will be back in Houston in May as the winner of the fifth annual Bombay Sapphire Artisans Series; he and music mogul Russell Simmons will unveil a mural in Midtown.
He is pleased “Empire” is generating interest in art.
“It’s gaining attention for art with people who never paid that much attention to it,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for emerging artists.”
Michael Ray Charles, a Cullen Distinguished Professor of painting at the University of Houston’s School of Art, said the show’s artwork serves as a symbol of status, particularly for Lucious.
“Lucious is like no other character I’ve seen on TV,” Charles said. “He’s coming from a hiphop culture in which he was working through the system and now he rivals the people he once worked for. And the art is an investment, a statement that if the game is life, he’s mastered it. We have guys like, Puffy, Jay Z and Russell Simmons doing the same thing.”
joy.sewing@chron.com