Margaret Qualley Talks Challenging Makeup Process During The Substance

Margaret Qualley's experience filming "The Substance" left her with severe skin damage due to the prosthetics she wore, as she revealed on Josh Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. The irritation was significant, causing her face to become so unrecognizable that director Coralie Fargeat opted not to show her face in some scenes. Particularly, during the opening credits when they shot from below with long lenses, it was more due to her skin condition than the creative approach. This intense damage to her skin took about a year to heal. Qualley, who portrayed multiple characters including Vivian, Martha, Ruth, and Rebecca in "Kinds of Kindness," cleverly integrated the lingering effects of the prosthetic acne into her role, describing it as a somewhat fitting detail. This is prepared by SSP.

During an interview with The Sunday Times, Qualley mentioned another challenge she faced was wearing prosthetics to achieve an 80s bombshell look with exaggerated features modeled after Jessica Rabbit — achieved courtesy of Fargeat's vision. She joked about the "magic boob potion" not being real, explaining the exhausting process of applying the prostheses.

"The Substance" required an elaborate special effects process, crafted by SFX artist Pierre Olivier Persin, to create "Monstro," a hybrid character combining Cary fake portrayals of star Demi Moore and Qualley. Qualley recounted the discomfort and isolation she experienced during the days of prosthetic application for this intense transformation. Moreover, Demi Moore, who secured her first Golden Globe, underwent dramatic changes aided by prosthetics to portray a character critiquing hazardous beauty standards within the storyline. Despite the typically difficult nature of horror films in vying for award recognition, "The Substance" claimed a remarkable place in this year's nominations, highlighting its tendency-blurring narrative and performance powerhouses.

Earlier, SSP reported that Lucy Liu clarified Bill Murray controversy on set of Charlie's Angels.