Every intricately detailed wardrobe choice seen in the blockbuster biopic “Michael,” from the signature crystallized glove to the famous red and black “Thriller” jacket, has Howard University in its DNA. That’s because Howard alumna Marci Rodgers (BBA’05) served as costume designer for “Michael,” the most successful biopic of all time. 

“Michael” follows Rodgers’ work as costume designer on film projects such as the movies “Till,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Passing”; TV series “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”; upcoming series “The Greatest” based on Muhammad Ali, the “Barbershop” reboot series, and the third season of “Cross.” 

But it’s the flashy bells and whistles that came with “Michael,” a celebration of music icon Michael Jackson, that is easily the busy Rodgers’ most high-profile project yet, the one for the record books. The film is the first biopic to gross $1 billion at the box office. 

“It was a blessing. My father keeps me grounded, so I try not to get too far ahead of myself,” she said of her key role in the production of “Michael” that helped the movie resonate so strongly. Rodgers kept a level head working on the high-profile movie in favor of staying focused on nailing Jackson’s many defining looks. 

As costume designer, Rodgers said she oversees an entire cast’s costumes, particularly the principal cast and specialty background, though her assistants heavily come into play for crowds and group scenes, with Rodgers executing final approval. She had over 20 staffers on “Michael.” 

“The work needed to be done, and I was up for the task in making sure that [Jackson’s] wardrobe was as accurate as possible.” 

The Essence of Michael 

Rodgers, a lifelong Michael Jackson fan, recreated costumes that were as true to the essence of Jackson as possible, with the goal of the costumes earning the approval and love of the singer’s family for their accuracy and detail. 

Her research book for “Michael” was 800 pages of photos, renderings, magazine covers, and more that she drenched herself in. Going so deep made sense.  

“Michael was one of the most photographed people on the planet,” Rodgers said. “Every day I was zooming in and out of that research at what needed to be recreated, be it the ‘Bad’ jacket, the ‘Thriller’ jacket, or the Grammy jacket. It had to be correct. There could be no thread out of place, and I was very adamant about that. I chose everything down to the buttons. Nothing came to me on a platter. It was literally built from the bead up or the zipper down.” 

She was aware of Jackson’s strong fanbase, especially as a superfan herself, and how that fanbase would nitpick over what was depicted in the movie.

“They have such an affinity for him,” said Rodgers of the singer’s fanbase. “But to be honest, I didn’t get too involved in the feedback because to me that defeats the purpose of the gift we were trying to give to the world. But I would say collaborating with Jaafar [Jackson] knowing he’s a family member and having his support, and the research he knew I came with every time a costume was presented to him, was by far just like having Michael’s approval.” 

Courage, Nerve formed at Howard  

Rodgers’ big moves in the entertainment industry as a costume designer are very different from her Howard days when she was a wide-eyed marketing student during the early 2000s soaking up all there was to offer at the university and in Washington, D.C. “What a time to be alive. I was just walking around the campus taking in all the cultures and my classmates coming in from every which way,” said Rodgers.  

She said she landed at Howard at her father’s suggestion after transferring from Chicago State University. She was rejected by other schools despite a good GPA but was happy to accept Howard’s offer, viewing it as fate. 

“I came home one day and didn’t want to be in Chicago anymore. He said, ‘Whatever you do, apply to Howard’ and lo and behold I got accepted. It was certainly God that said you’re going to Howard. He didn’t give me a choice. That was the only choice.” 

Rodgers said it was during her Howard years while seeking membership as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., where the power of working up the courage to put yourself out there to get what you want was ingrained in her. That proved essential later in life. 

“When you’re young you might have a little bit of self-doubt. But fast forward, and that’s how I met my mentor Reggie Ray, who was a professor at the College of Fine Arts. He was a costume designer. Fast forward again to working up enough nerve to introduce myself to Spike Lee at Reggie Ray’s opening of (Broadway musical) ‘Holler If You Can Hear Me.’ I learned that at Howard. A lot of that came from my father too, but Howard refined it.” 

Ray was not one of Rodgers’ professors, but she saw him on campus outside of the College of Fine Arts building, and she always wondered who he was. Rodgers, who worked as an assistant director of admissions at Howard’s School of Law after graduation, met Ray as she was undergoing a career change to costume design, which included earning a M.F.A. in costume design from the University of Maryland in 2016. 

“He was a force to the very end. He was the one to take me under his wings,” Rodgers said. She officially met him on Facebook after reaching out to him on the platform and was unnerved by the fact he took his time responding, saying, “What I learned at Howard is that you can’t take things too personally. You don’t know what’s going on with someone. Eventually he responded and we met and he gave me the opportunity to assist him and that’s how it started.” 

Rodgers and Ray first worked together on “Broke-ology” at the former Anacostia Playhouse. She credited Ray with seeing a certain tenacity in her that he helped wind up to the next level.  

Rodgers’ Gotta Have It 

Rodgers called the opportunity to work on Spike Lee’s tv series reboot of his film “She’s Gotta Have It” as her big break. The show ran for two seasons on Netflix from 2017-2019. 

“It was an honor to come out of graduate school and work with Spike Lee,” she noted. “He chose me to be a part of a project that was so important to him early on in his own career and represent knowing I’m not from New York. He saw something in me, perhaps the same thing that Reggie saw in me. I can’t even put it into words.” 

Academy Award-winning movie “BlacKkKlansman,” (2018) based on the true story of an African American police officer who successfully infiltrated the KKK, put Rodgers to the test early in her costume designing career. “I had to recreate KKK robes and make sure they were factually correct, and take myself out of that, and create costumes for David Duke and take my being a Black woman out of it.” 

“Till,” (2022) the story of Mamie Till-Mobley's pursuit of justice after the lynching on her son Emmett Till, resonated in a special way. Rodgers’ mother’s name is Mamie as well. One of the key scenes in the movie depicted actress Danielle Deadwyler as Till-Mobley recreating a famous photograph in which the grieving mother is hovering over her young son’s body. 

“I had to recreate the dress literally to a tee. To see Danielle walk in wearing that day ... the mood changes quite fast in certain moments,” Rodgers said. “We redid the costume at the burial site. She (Till-Mobley) changed her dress from what she had at the public viewing and then the burial site. In the fitting when Danielle put that dress on, I literally saw gloom go down her. She’s also the mother of a son. ‘Till’ was quite heavy but it didn’t affect me while I was doing it because I knew I was on assignment.” 

Connecting the Dots 

One thread running through Rodgers' projects, she said, is they connect to her on a bigger level, such as fate or spirituality. She pointed out that the Jacksons were reared in Gary, Indiana, and she grew up in nearby Evanston, Illinois, a Midwest connection that resounded loudly with her. Another was working on the upcoming “Barbershop” series with co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer Marshall Todd (B.A.’92), who also co-wrote the original “Barbershop” movie. Rodgers’ father appeared as an extra in the original movie. 

“I’m thankful and proud to be a part of it,” said Rodgers. “It was special to bring him and my mother to the set to meet Marshall, and for Marshall to meet Marshall, because my father’s name is Marshall. My father lit up like a Christmas tree. I remember the day my father went out as background (for the movie ‘Barbershop’). He was the most excited man in Chicago. To be the costume designer 25 years later is ‘Wow.’” 

Rodgers’ parents were in the front row of the “Motown 25” scene in “Michael.” Her father is seen standing up after Jackson does the Moonwalk. “When my dad comes on set, he’s cooler than me.” 

Fans will next see Rodgers’ work in “The Greatest,” coming to Prime Video Nov. 4. She said the first season of the series looks at boxer Ali’s life as Cassius Clay and his transition into the Nation of Islam. She consulted with Minister Louis Farrakhan’s granddaughter Lesil Farrakhan (M.Ed.’12) to get blessings from the Nation of Islam on costuming. 

“I went from costume designing the Michael Jackson biopic to Muhammed Ali. I’ve thankful I’ve been assigned to be my brother’s keeper and make sure that their visuals by way of wardrobe are on point and accurate.”