Margaret Qualley reveals how filming 'The Substance' scarred for a year: "My face was so..."
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley's 2024 hit 'The Substance' has received widespread praise for its intense performances and hauntingly stunning visuals. The film is about self-destruction in the pursuit of perfection. Reflecting on the same, Qualley recently opened up about how the role mirrored the intensity of the story. Qualley plays Sue, a younger version of Elisabeth Sparkle, portrayed by Moore. During her appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, she described the movie as a “nightmarish f**ked up fairy tale.” She found the role both fascinating and terrifying, revealing the physical toll it took on her.
The Emmy-nominated actress shared how the prosthetics used for her transformation into 'Monstro Elisasue' caused severe acne. She explained to the host, “By the end of this shoot…did you see 'Kinds of Kindness'?… You know the character that has all that acne? That was just my acne from the prosthetics. It took me probably a year to recover physically from all of it. My face was so f*****d up by that time that they couldn’t shoot my face anymore.” She further dished, "At the end when they were shooting up my skirt in the beginning credits, and it's like the palm trees all around and they have all these long lenses from the bottom, that's just because my face was so f---ed up..."
Besides the prosthetics and latex suit for Monstro Elisasue, Qualley also spoke about the pressure to embody filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s vision. “It was terrifying. And then, on top of that, the amount of pressure to be the realization of Corley’s idea of perfection,” she shared during her podcast appearance, as reported by FandomWire.
Speaking to Awards Watch, she revealed how much effort went into achieving the 'right body' for the character. “I wanted to make sure my body was representing whatever Coralie, the director’s, idea of perfection was, and that was a challenging pursuit,” she said. This pressure led her to question her own mental well-being. “An intense gaze for…like five months, is a long time to be living in that mindset,” she said. “I was like, ‘What am I doing to myself?’”
The film follows a disturbing narrative in which Elisabeth undergoes a shocking transformation into an elderly hatchback, while Sue becomes Monstro Elisasue. To create the unsettling visuals, the filmmakers worked with prosthetic makeup artist Pierre-Olivier Persin. Both Qualley and Moore endured hours of prosthetic application to bring their characters to life, as reported by People magazine. During the challenging production, Moore provided invaluable support to her co-star. Her extensive experience in the film industry enabled her to offer guidance and reassurance, helping Qualley face the intense demands of their roles. This collaboration not only strengthened their on-screen performances but also highlighted the importance of fellowship and mentorship in the film industry.
