Margaret Qualley shares her struggle with acne after filming “The Substance,” affecting her for a year.
On the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, she described how her face looked “f–ked up” during filming. The crew had to shoot from angles that avoided her face because of the breakouts.
Interestingly, this acne situation worked out for her next project, “Kinds of Kindness.” In that film, she plays multiple characters, one of whom also has acne. So, she didn’t need any makeup for those scenes.
Qualley mentioned it took her about a year to recover from the skin issues caused by the prosthetics. She joked that the character with acne was just her real acne from the film.
In “The Substance,” she plays a younger version of Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, who turns to a black market drug to regain her youth, leading to some grotesque side effects.
The film has been well-received and is even generating Oscar buzz. Qualley reflected on the intense five-month shoot with Moore, saying it was both rewarding and painful. She feels grateful for the film’s success.
