A year after “The Substance” made a splash at Cannes and swept awards season, star Margaret Qualley has reflected on why the project was something of “a nightmare” for her.
In the film, Qualley played Sue, the younger version of aging actress Elizabeth (Demi Moore), who battles to take the (literal) spotlight from her spawn. The sci-fi film landed Moore an array of Best Actress nods, including a nomination at the Oscars.
Qualley told Cosmopolitan that “The Substance” made her confront “generations of trauma” within her own family. Qualley’s mother is fellow actress Andie MacDowell, who actually counts Moore as another former co-star (the duo were in “St. Elmo’s Fire” together).
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“’The Substance’ was like entering the eye of the storm. It was like dealing with all of my shit, my mom’s shit, generations of trauma,” Qualley said. “It was a nightmare, being this idyllic, youthful fembot. No one thinks of themselves like that. The movie is not a good touchstone for what femininity is — it is quite masculine in a lot of ways.”
She continued, “The thing I’ll take home with me, for sure, is Demi Moore. She’s such a special person. She’s strong and she’s wise, but she’s also incredibly soft and porous. … I learned so much from her. She’s become one of my dearest friends.”
Qualley’s Cosmopolitan cover also nods to the film’s themes: MacDowell was featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan’s September 1982 issue, and now Qualley is on the Fall 2025 cover for the 60th anniversary issue.
Qualley also spoke about her latest role in “Honey Don’t!,” which reunites her with “Drive-Away Dolls” filmmakers Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke. Qualley plays a queer detective investigating a cult in the dark comedy. “I trust any girl to be able to solve a fucking murder mystery with Instagram, to be honest. But my character is very confident and talkative. She’s not a woman of few words. I think that sometimes I’ve made myself comfortable by knocking myself down. She’s the opposite of that,” Qualley said. “She’s in her power and smart and sexy. She’s a bit like a cool-guy player.”
Qualley additionally stars in “Happy Gilmore 2,” “Blue Moon” (which she told IndieWire was “life-changing”), and “Huntington” this season.
