Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley played two version of the same character in 'The Substance'© CBS via Getty Images

Oscars 2025

Margaret Qualley reveals 'The Substance' prosthetics damage took 'a year' to heal

Qualley and Demi Moore star in "The Substance," a film that was nominated for 5 Oscars


Senior Writer
FEBRUARY 28, 2025 4:22 PM EST

Margaret Qualley had to deal with some unexpected setbacks while on the set of "The Substance." The actress, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, has revealed that the prosthetics she wore during a pivotal sequence of the film left her with skin damage that took over a year to heal from. 

Demi Moore stars in 'The Substance,' which earned her her first Academy Award nomination© MUBI
Demi Moore could win her first Oscar this Sunday

As we prepare for this year's Oscars, which will take place this Sunday, we're looking back at some of the key players this awards season.

Qualley stars in "The Substance," a body horror film that was one of the biggest surprises this awards season, earning five Oscar nominations, including Demi Moore's first nod as an actress. 

© MUBI
Margaret Qualley experienced various skin issues due to the prosthetics she wore in The Substance

In an interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Qualley opened up about the damage she experienced while shooting "The Substance." 

She revealed that she developed an intense bout of acne that she used in "Kinds of Kindness," another film that she was making at the time, where she played various characters. 

“So, you know the character that has all that acne? That was just my acne from the prosthetics,” said Qualley. “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."

© CBS via Getty Images
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley played two versions of the same character in 'The Substance'

'The Substance' film crew had to work around her acne

Qualley revealed that one of the movie's shots is due to the camera trying to avoid filming her acne directly. 

“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,” said Qualley.

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