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The Oscar winner becomes a cultural icon for the series
Mark your calendars because Octavia Spencer's turn as cultural icon and hair care entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker will arrive on Netflix soon. On Thursday, the streaming service announced that the limited series is officially titled Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker and will debut on Friday, March 20. Netflix also revealed the first photos of Spencer as the eponymous trailblazer, which you can check out below.
Loosely based on the book On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker, which was written by Walker's great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles, the series follows the life of the legendary businesswoman. Per the series' description, Self Made will present Madam C.J. Walker's story as she "overcame post-slavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black hair care, as she simultaneously fought for social change."
In addition to Spencer, the series also stars Blair Underwood as Walker's husband C.J. Walker, Tiffany Haddish as her daughter Lelia, Carmen Ejogo as her business rival Addie Munroe, Garrett Morris as her father-in-law, Kevin Carroll as her longtime lawyer Freeman Ransom, and Bill Bellamy as Ransom's cousin Sweetness.
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker heads to Netflix on Friday, March 20.
Octavia Spencer, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
David Lee/NetflixOctavia Spencer and Blair Underwood, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Amanda Matlovich/NetflixOctavia Spencer, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Amanda Matlovich/NetflixSelf Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Amanda Matlovich/NetflixOctavia Spencer, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Amanda Matlovich/NetflixOctavia Spencer, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.)