Margaret Qualley Still Has ‘Nightmares’ About Filming Gory ‘The Substance’ Scene: It Will ‘Stay with Me Forever’
Even Margaret Qualley can’t get the haunting visuals of “The Substance” out of her mind.
The actress told IndieWire that more than two years after wrapping production on Coralie Fargeat’s Golden Globes-winning satirical horror film, she still has “nightmares” about a certain gory scene — and it’s not that bloody ending. Instead, the sequence in which Sue (Qualley) starts to fall apart quite literally ahead of her big New Year’s Eve hosting spot is what lives rent-free in Qualley’s subconscious.
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“Actually, just the night before last, I had a replica nightmare of when Sue loses her teeth, and she’s freaking out in front of the mirror,” Qualley said. “I’m one of those people who’s definitely had that nightmare before where you lose your teeth, but then I had the literal scene: I was looking in the mirror with only my two teeth. It was just the exact moment from the film.”
She added, “Certain parts of that movie, like the action of doing them, will stay with me forever in a way that feels horrific. But I mean that in a good way.”
And “The Substance” is already making history as one of the few female-fronted horror films to dominate any awards season. After becoming the biggest Mubi release ever theatrically, the film has been up for a slew of awards, including lead star Demi Moore landing a Screen Actors Guild nomination and recently winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Qualley was also nominated in the Globes supporting category and is also now set up for a possible first Oscar nomination. Guilds, from cinematographers to makeup designers, have heralded the film for its crafty visuals and gory creature design, too.
Could “The Substance” change how genre films are recognized by the Oscars?
“I would love for it to be [Oscar-nominated], and I think that Demi’s performance certainly deserves for it to be. It would be spectacular if she were the one to make space for that genre within the awards circle,” Qualley said. “I’m not, like, the master of categorizing films, but I will say that this movie is visceral and nightmarish.”
Just ask Qualley’s own psyche, it seems.
The actress added that starring in “The Substance” was “taxing” at times, especially when it came to performing the now-viral dance as aging actress Elisabeth Sparkle’s (Moore) younger, more perfect twin, Sue. Qualley, a classically trained dancer who also starred in the Bob Fosse bio-series “Fosse/Verdon” as icon Ann Reinking, explained why “The Substance” dance was especially daunting — and even led her to tears.
“‘The Substance’ dance was so foreign to me. And to be honest, when I read the script, I’d imagined more…I thought it would be more similar to Demi’s dance as Elisabeth in the film. And I’ll never forget the process of learning that choreography,” Qualley said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever taken a dance class and felt like you were like out of your element or they were moving too fast, but it was like all the dancers were there and they all knew the choreography and the director was there, and the teacher was there and they were teaching me that dance, and I just burst out into tears. I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this.'”
She continued, “I ran to the bathroom and had to collect myself and come back. Luckily, I was able to just get a one-on-one with the choreographer to be brought up to speed before I was kind of thrown into the deep end. But it was certainly something that was beyond my comfort zone and a real challenge to become comfortable with. It was so incredibly intimidating.”
However, Qualley at least had time during production to perfect the routine before the scene was filmed.
“I was lucky in the sense that it was a five-month long shoot, and it wasn’t until around month four or something that we shot that,” Qualley said, adding that she may have had a little substance-induced courage of her own for the big day. “I practiced every single night in my hotel room, and I was able to do it without feeling so self-conscious. Even so, I was somewhat under the influence while doing it. I was just like, ‘I don’t think I can do this completely sober.'”
The scene was a mix of ’80s references and Dua Lipa-inspired choreography, with choreographer Marion Motin “definitely pushing me in a direction that I wouldn’t have found naturally,” Qualley added.
“Dua Lipa was definitely in the zeitgeist at that moment and wearing, like, leotards. Dua Lipa and Beyoncé were both kind of references for Coralie, I know, in terms of clothing aesthetic,” she said, noting that costume designer Emmanuelle Youchnovski was key to bringing the sequence to life.
As Qualley revisits “The Substance” with the awards push, she has found herself relying even more so on her onscreen counterpart, Moore.
“It’s been so long now since I filmed it, but it’s been interesting to be promoting it because obviously it’s like you’re entering that world again. It was a taxing part to play in real time for me,” Qualley said. “Demi has honestly has just made the process of promoting it so much better than I ever could have imagined. Also the fans, with people responding to the film, [it’s] been so rewarding … the conversations have exceeded our imagination in terms of what we both wanted to do when we set out to make this movie.”
Qualley continued, “It’s been so great because it’s given me another opportunity to hang [with] and learn from Demi. I just adore her and I’m so grateful to have been a part of this moment for her and with her. I couldn’t be more thrilled [for her]. I mean, she’s somebody that’s leading a beautiful life and couldn’t deserve this moment more. She’s been taking risks with her choices for her entire career and putting all of herself into it. I feel like this is just another example of [a film] that really hit at the right moment, and it’s just been awesome to be a part of it.”
Qualley will continue her horror reign with “Victorian Psycho,” which will go into production in Dublin soon this year. Qualley is set to play a governess taking care of children in a remote gothic manor while hiding her psychopathic tendencies. Thomasin McKenzie also stars in the A24 thriller, which reunites Qualley with her “Sanctuary” director Zachary Wigon.
“I’d say it’s different than ‘The Substance,’ which really is female action-horror in my mind,” Qualley teased, before adding with a laugh, “Well, God, actually, I guess it’s not that different! There’s certain parallels thematically, but the world itself feels very different, if that makes sense.”
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