“They’re shooting up my skirt”- Margaret Qualley Reveals How Prosthetics in ‘The Substance’ Hurt Her Skin, Forcing Alternative Solutions

The Substance was the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2024. Not solely did it change into probably the most profitable field workplace launch for arthouse distributor and streamer Mubi thus far, nevertheless it additionally obtained huge crucial acclaim. Besides the movie’s satirical themes, the extreme performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, and its allegorical depth, the graphic physique horror additionally stood out with its excessive, disturbing prosthetics. While they certainly offered a chilling expertise for viewers, the actors confronted a way more difficult ordeal.

Margaret Qualley just lately opened up in regards to the toll The Substance’s prosthetics took on her pores and skin and the way powerful it was for her to get better.

Margaret Qualley on the affect of prosthetics with The Substance

In an episode of Happy Sad Confused, Margaret Qualley talked in regards to the lasting results of sporting prosthetics for The Substance. She recalled scenes within the movie that have been shot from low angles, or in her phrases, “when they’re shooting up my skirt in the beginning credits,” which have been taken after the prosthetics left her face fully “—-ed up.” Qualley added, “They couldn’t shoot my face anymore.”

Qualley revealed how the pimples and different results from the prosthetics lingered properly past The Substance, and carried over into her subsequent challenge, Kinds of Kindness. These powerful experiences appear to have impressed her to push for a shift in her future roles, shifting away from extra “obscure, artsy movies“. Despite the struggles, the expertise was nonetheless rewarding—particularly for veteran actress Demi Moore.

After serving to Moore safe her first main award, the Golden Globes, The Substance is now catapulting her onto the Academy’s radar as properly.

Demi Moore’s Oscar buzz is greater than only a private win

Demi Moore has lengthy been missed for main appearing awards. Many critics noticed her roles as extra commercially pushed or ‘popcorn’ movies. However, with The Substance, Moore shifted that notion. Now, at 62, she is gearing as much as earn her first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actress. But this isn’t only a private milestone. It is a breakthrough second for a style that has been unfairly snubbed by awards our bodies.

Horror has historically been dismissed by the Academy as too graphic, too area of interest, or too lowbrow for his or her refined tastes. If Moore does get acknowledged by the Academy this yr, as she has been with Golden Globes and SAG nods, it may very well be a game-changing second for the style as a complete, making all of the prosthetic struggling value it. 

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