Movie makeup leaves actress with yearlong skin problems
Listen To Story Above
Margaret Qualley recently opened up about the physical toll of filming “The Substance,” revealing that wearing prosthetics during production left her with severe acne that took nearly a year to heal.
During an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the actress discussed her role as Sue in the body horror film, explaining that certain filming techniques were employed to work around her skin condition. “At the end, when they’re shooting up my skirt in the beginning credits, and it’s like the palm trees all around and they have all these long lenses from the bottom, that’s just because my face was so f–ked up,” Qualley said, adding, “They couldn’t shoot my face anymore.”
Margaret Qualley reveals her skin took a whole year to recover from the prosthetics used in The Substance https://t.co/mdm4cjVTb7 pic.twitter.com/sRfilXYAzb
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 15, 2025
The skin issues that resulted from the prosthetics unexpectedly benefited her subsequent project, “Kinds of Kindness,” where she portrays four distinct characters. One of her characters was meant to have acne, which eliminated the need for artificial makeup. “So, you know the character that has all that acne? That was just my acne from the prosthetics,” the “Poor Things” star confessed. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of perfect. I’m playing all these different characters. For one of them, we’ll use all my crazy prosthetic acne.'”
The 30-year-old actress shared that the physical recovery process from the film’s demands extended well beyond the shooting schedule.
Margaret Qualley recently opened up about the toll heavy prosthetic makeup took on her skin during the filming of 'The Substance' + we at Glitter are sharing our fav products + tips to do your very own skin reset for the girlies who need a break from HD makeup. But if you've seen… pic.twitter.com/P4myWw0s3Y
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) January 15, 2025
In “The Substance,” currently available in select theaters and on Mubi, Qualley portrays a younger version of Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Demi Moore. The narrative follows Sparkle, an aging aerobics star who, after being dismissed by her producer (Dennis Quaid) due to age concerns, turns to illegal substances that create a younger version of herself – with disturbing consequences.
The film has received critical acclaim, notably earning Moore her first Golden Globe award in her extensive acting career.
Reflecting on the demanding production, Qualley spoke about her collaboration with Moore: “Demi and I worked so hard on this for like … it was a five-month shoot,” she said of working with her 62-year-old co-star. “It was super intense.” Despite the challenges, Qualley expressed gratitude for the film’s success, noting that the experience was simultaneously “rewarding and painful.”
