Margaret Qualley reveals her skin took a year to recover from prosthetics in The Substance

Margaret Qualley shares how prosthetics for The Substance left her face damaged, taking a year for full recovery.

Actress Margaret Qualley has shared her experience of enduring intense physical challenges for her role in The Substance. In a January 13 episode of Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Golden Globe nominee Margaret Qualley, 30, opened up about the impact prosthetics had on her skin during filming.

The actress revealed that the prosthetics caused such severe damage to her skin that certain shots had to be altered. "Like, 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---ed up by that time that they couldn't, like, shoot my face anymore," Qualley explained.

Qualley, known for her roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Fosse/Verdon, spoke candidly about the toll the prosthetic work took on her. After filming The Substance, her acne persisted and continued into her next project, Kinds of Kindness.

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“So, you know the character that has all that acne? That was just my acne from the prosthetics,” Qualley shared, mentioning the characters she plays in the film—Vivian, Martha, Ruth, and Rebecca. “And 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.' It took me probably a year to recover physically from all of it."

While the physical aftermath was difficult, Qualley has remained positive about the experience and the opportunity to push herself as an actress. Her commitment to her craft has earned praise from fans and colleagues alike, with many admiring her dedication to bringing her characters to life.