Margaret Qualley is proving she’s a Hollywood force in her own right. As if her striking features, raven hair and charming smile weren’t enough to showcase that she was destined for the screen, her acting chops and rapidly growing resume should be. Here, get to know Margaret Qualley, daughter of Andie MacDowell and model Paul Qualley, who’s forging her own path in Hollywood these days.
Margaret Qualley’s early life and career: from dance to acting
Though she calls one of the most accomplished actresses in Hollywood “Mom,” it was actually dance in which Qualley got her start as a performer. However, after years of practice, fierce competition and pushing her body to the limit, she stepped away from it. “One of the reasons why I stopped dancing is because, at a certain point, I just became obsessed with the idea of being perfect. In the ballet world, that is a pretty common theme,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “There are certain things about me that are dancer traits and will always be a part of me: I like to work hard, I’m prompt, I’m not good at being late or being cool. I think probably dancers can’t help but think about certain things, maybe body awareness. At the same time, I’m probably one of the clumsiest people I know.”
Once dance was put on the backburner, Qualley pivoted toward modeling and had great success in the industry, her face representing some of the biggest designers out there, but it wouldn’t be long before she was bitten by the acting bug, making her on-screen debut in 2013’s Palo Alto.
Margaret Qualley’s biggest roles: from ‘Maid’ to ‘The Substance’
Over the years, you’ve probably seen the 30-year-old actress shine in one place or another. Films and series like The Nice Guys (2016), The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2017), HBO’s The Leftovers, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Poor Things (2023), Netflix’s Maid and FX’s Fosse/Verdon make up a portion of her acting career, the latter two in which she was nominated for Emmy Awards. These days, however, you’ve probably heard her name quite a bit for her role in The Substance, a horror film in which she shines opposite Demi Moore.
In the film, Moore plays a Hollywood actress, who, at 50 years old, is fired from the aerobics series she hosts. When she accepts a black market serum that claims to result in a younger version of herself, her body produces Sue, played by Qualley. Though the two women must respect the balance in which The Substance lays out, each alternating consciousness every seven days, things start to escalate in this body-horror film for the ages.
“I think one of the reasons why I gravitated towards the script was because I think that it’s talking about topics that, unfortunately, are super present in everybody’s lives and in this elegant, fantastical way that makes it exciting,” Qualley told Heavy Cinema. “But that said, I grew up a dancer, and then I modeled for a second, and then I started acting. And every single step of the path has been an incredible amount of pressure on the idea of being perfect or having this unattainable, especially within the dance world. There’s a very specific thing that you’re reaching towards. And I think I’m so lucky to be living in a time when so many of those standards are being broken down and reinvented.”
Margaret Qualley’s marriage to Jack Antonoff
Few love songs have captured the tenderness of falling for someone quite like Lana Del Rey’s “Margaret,” so imagine being the inspiration behind the tune. In 2023, Qualley tied the knot with famed music producer and Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, known for his collaborations with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter and countless others.
Margaret Qualley’s close relationship with mom Andie MacDowell
While some children of famous parents like to set themselves apart from their mothers and fathers, Qualley has done the opposite. Though she’s been sure to forge her own path, she hasn’t shied away from working alongside her mom, starring in Netflix’s Maid as her on-screen daughter.
“She gave me permission to do whatever I wanted,” Qualley told The Times of her mother growing up. “My mom grew up in the South and in a more conservative family that was more judgmental about her choices. So she was really nonjudgmental about my choices.”
With chatter of an Oscar nom for Qualley happening, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for her!
