Margaret Qualley SaysThe SubstanceWas 'Outside My Comfort Zone': 'I Knew It Was Going to Be a Big Challenge' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Margaret Qualley.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Embodying her character inThe SubstancechallengedMargaret Qualleyto take new risks onscreen.

“I guess, for me, it’s something I’ve really never done,” the actress says of playing Sue, a younger version of her costarDemi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, who’s hyper-sexualized throughout the film. “I think I’ve intentionally gone the other direction throughout my career.”

Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore.Jon Kopaloff/Getty

“I knew it was going to be a big challenge for me,“The Maidstar shares of the role. Qualley went on to add that the nudity in film “very much serves the purpose of this story.”

She continues, “It’s a road you have to go down in order to bring this to life. And I was excited about that challenge.”

Moore, 61, agrees. “It’s part of what makes it interesting and exciting, pushing yourself, because I think you in the end, gain more of yourself when you face that whatever might be an individual’s discomfort, fear. I don’t really look at it as fear as much as just vulnerability,” she says.

The Substance.MUBI/Youtube

MUBI/Youtube

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“We’ve all chosen, highlighted different parts of ourselves to present to the world, for how you want people to see you,” the actress notes. “And not that many of Sue’s attributes fit the bill for the ones that I’m presenting to the world. But it doesn’t mean that they’re not somewhere inside of me.”

The Substance, which costarsDennis Quaid, is in theaters now.

source: people.com