- She discusses the challenge of portraying Sue, a younger version of Demi Moore's character, Elisabeth Sparkle.
- She emphasizes the importance of pushing one's limits to keep things interesting and exciting.
- Qualley praises the film's universality and the connection between her and Moore's characters.
The actress, known for her appearances in the Oscar-winning comedy/fantasy “Poor Things” and 2019's *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood*, is embracing new challenges with “The Substance”. In an interview, she discussed why she found her role as Sue—a younger version of her co-star Demi Moore's character, Elisabeth Sparkle—particularly challenging.
Her character, hyper-sexualized throughout the film, presents a complex portrayal that Qualley strives for. "I think I've intentionally gone the other direction throughout my career," she told the outlet. The body horror film includes plenty of nudity and explicit scenes as the two women, who share the same conscience, inject themselves with an illegal serum.
"I knew it was going to be a big challenge for me," the actress said. However, she also admitted that nudity and obscenity serve a huge purpose for the story. "It's a road you have to go down to bring this to life. And I was excited about that challenge," she added.
Ultimately, as an actor, it’s essential to push one’s limits to keep things interesting and exciting. “I think you, in the end, gain more of yourself when you face that whatever might be an individual's discomfort, fear,” she said. “I don't look at it as fear as much as just vulnerability."
Further praising her film, Qualley explained its universality and the connection between her and Moore’s characters. Both Elisabeth and Sue yearn for youth, fame, and recognition—everything society seeks. "We've all chosen to highlight different parts of ourselves to present to the world, based on how we want people to see us," she explained.
Qualley noted that “her character, Sue, presents a version of herself to the world that might not be completely true to herself. However, the attributes she tends to hide do exist deep within her. According to the official synopsis, the film revolves around “a fading celebrity who decides to use a black-market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.”
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