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Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the 2024 standout body horror filmThe Substancehas earned widespread acclaim for its powerful performances and haunting imagery. As the film explores themes of unrelenting self-destruction in pursuit of perfection, Margaret Qualley revealed that her behind-the-scenes experience mirrored the film’s intensity.
The actress, who portrays the younger version of the lead character Sue, recently shared her experience working on the movie and how it left her with“crazy prosthetic acne,”which took nearly a year to recover.
Margaret Qualley reveals the horrors of starring inThe Substance
In her recent appearance on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast,Margaret Qualleyshared her experience of starring in the acclaimed body horror movie,The Substance.Qualley takes on the role of Sue, a younger version of the film star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore).
Describing the movie as a“nightmarish f**ked up fairy tale,”she shared that she found therole both fascinating and terrifying.Further into the discussion, the Emmy-nominated actress also revealed the physical effects of starring in the movie.
She revealed that the prosthetics used for her transformation in Monstro Elisasue left her with severe acne. She told 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**ked up by that time that they couldn’t shoot my face anymore.
The film’s unsettling narrative takes thecharacters through disturbing transitions, as Elisabeth transforms into an elderly hatchback and Sue becomes Monstro Elisasue.
The Substance Review — Overlong Body Horror Has Some of the Year’s Best Effects
To bring out the horrific depictions of the characters to life, the filmmakers worked with the prostheticmake-up artistPierre-Olivier Persin. Both Moore and Qualley had to go through the hours-long prosthetic application sessions to bring their characters to life.
Margaret Qualley reflected on taking on the challenging role inThe Substance
Margaret Qualley has been quite candid about the challenges that she had to face to embody the character inthe Golden Globe-nominated film.
In addition to the prosthetics and the latex suit to bring the Monstro Elisasue to life, the actress also admitted that the pressure to embody filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s idea of perfection was intense.
“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 appearance on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast.
Qualley has previously opened up about the challenges of getting“the right body”for her role as Sue.“I wanted to ensure my body was representing whatever Coralie, the director’s, idea of perfection was, and that was a challenging pursuit,” she toldAwards Watch.
She also reflected on theemotional toll of maintaining an“idealized version of perfection of femininity”which made her question the toll it was taking on her mental well-being.“An intense gaze for… like five months, is a long time to be living in that mindset I was like,‘What am I doing to myself?'”she said.
“She’s one of the most fearless actresses working today”: Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s Body Horror Film The Substance is Hauntingly Terrifying
However, she found support in her co-star, Demi Moore, who helped her navigate moments of insecurity and helped her cope with the overwhelming obsession to achieve perfection for the role.
The Substanceis available to watch on Mubi.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3448
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
