Margaret Qualley Says Starring in Richard Linklater’s ‘Blue Moon’ Was ‘Life-Changing’
Margaret Qualley is teasing just how “incredibly surreal” it was to star in a Richard Linklater film.
Qualley, who appears in Linklater’s upcoming Lorenz Hart biopic “Blue Moon,” told IndieWire that she has been trying to work with the auteur for more than a decade.
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“I have been a longtime fan of Richard Linklater,” Qualley said. “I think I auditioned for him the first time 10 years ago.”
While Qualley only revealed that the film she auditioned for was in fact made, she did not say its title… although Linklater’s ’70s college-centric “Everybody Loves Some!!” was released in 2016.
Qualley’s admiration for Linklater was cemented with his 2014 feature “Boyhood,” which felt especially personal to Qualley as she was the same age as its lead character. Oscar-nominated “Boyhood” was filmed across 12 years, with Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette starring. The feature was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
“I gushed out to Ethan Hawke at the premiere of my friend’s film, ‘First Reformed,’ because he just had ‘Boyhood’ come out a few years prior and that one film just hit me so hard,” Qualley said. “I could draw so many parallels between the kid in ‘Boyhood’ and my life. I was the same age as the guy in ‘Boyhood,’ so it was super crazy because everything that was happening in the world and his life happened in the world in my life at the same time. I was in the same grade as him when Obama was elected, and I was the same age as him when my parents got divorced. It was so wild for me to watch that movie. It just left such an impression on me.”
“The Substance” star is now getting her chance to act opposite “Boyhood” alum and career Linklater collaborator Hawke with “Blue Moon,” which will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 18. Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale also star. The film tells the story of American lyricist Lorenz Hart as he battles with alcoholism and mental health during the opening of Broadway show “Oklahoma!” on March 31, 1943.
“It’s literally the dream collab duo,” Qualley said of working with both Hawke and Linklater. “It was incredibly surreal for me. To be in the flesh with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke and be able to not only witness their process but be a part of it was life-changing.”
Qualley’s collaborations with auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Coralie Fargeat continue with her reunion with “Drive-Away Dolls” director Ethan Coen. Qualley leads Coen’s “Honey Don’t!” alongside Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, and Talia Ryder. Qualley plays a private investigator looking into a Bakersfield, California based cult, led by a charismatic founder (Evans). Coen co-wrote the film with his wife Tricia Cooke; the duo also penned “Drive-Away Dolls.”
“I just love Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke so damn much and love being on their set,” Qualley said of the Focus Features film that will be released this summer. “I can can hardly put into words how special making that movie was for me and working with Aubrey Plaza, who is one of my favorite actors and people of all time.”
But don’t count on any “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” parallels other than the cult plot line.
“Oh, maybe just the car,” Qualley teased, hinting at a period piece.
Qualley will next go into production on “Victorian Psycho,” which marks another director reunion. Qualley’s “Sanctuary” director Zachary Wigon is bringing the novel adaptation to the screen, with production starting in February 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. Qualley is set to play a governess who is taking care of children in a remote gothic manor while hiding her psychopathic tendencies. Thomasin McKenzie also stars in the A24 thriller.
“I’ve never done a British accent before, so that’s terrifying,” Qualley said of preparing for the role, which also requires her to don a corset. “I’ve been working on the accent, and my poor husband, I’ve limited our movies to only British accent movies. I read this book on the Victorian life and it was really interesting. It’s just kind of amazing how much we’ve evolved in such a short time period. And I’ve been wearing a corset around the house to get comfortable with that. It’s actually not as bad as you think if it fits well, and it’s kind of fun. I’m just trying to get used to moving a little bit differently.”
And while Qualley has a full slate of films in the works, she doesn’t have any desires at the moment to direct herself.
“[Working with Linklater] inspired me to do more of what I do already,” Qualley said. “I don’t really have any big directing ambitions, but I really value directors and I feel like I am doing such a different thing than they are. I really like just love working with people that I feel like know more about movies than I do and learning from them.”
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