Margaret Qualley and Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Certain actresses can make a lasting impression the first time you see them on the screen. Margaret Qualley didn’t have much screen time in Quentin Tarantino‘s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” but she delivered a memorable performance as Pussycat, a Manson Family acolyte. Margaret effortlessly plays off of Brad Pitt‘s character with a mix of beauty and charisma in a pivotal scene for Pitt’s Cliff Booth character. Booth is able to brush off Pussycat’s playful advances as Margaret delivers a tempting performance as a girl he needs to avoid.
Margaret’s attempt to seduce Pitt’s character ends up being one of those scenes that stick with you. That’s saying quite a bit in the context of a great film filled with standout performances by acting heavyweights like Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Many of us had no idea who she was at the time. We just knew we wanted to learn more about her. Then we find out that Margaret Qualley is the daughter of Andie MacDowell and it all starts to make sense. Both are stunning, and both have that easy, natural way of embodying a role. Margaret is not a nepo-baby, and we expect great things from her.
We’ve been impressed so far with her choice of roles. She welcomes eclectic and emotionally demanding parts, from gritty dramatic leads to genre pieces, showing range across character types. She also embraces her beauty and sensual vibe, not shying away from edgy roles that include nudity or sensual settings.
Margaret on Film
“The Substance” (2024)
Margaret plays Sue, a younger, “improved” version of Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle—a role that is central to the film’s psychological and thematic impact. Sue is not a separate person in the traditional sense. She is the physical manifestation of Elisabeth’s idealized self, created through a mysterious black-market drug called “The Substance,” which promises youth, beauty, and renewed relevance. Margaret isn’t shy about showing off her body here, and we thought she may have gotten a boob job before shooting. Then we learned her enlarged assets were the result of digital enhancements.
“Kinds of Kindness“ (2024)
Margaret delivers one of the film’s most striking and unsettling performances, working again with director Yorgos Lanthimos in a role (or set of roles) that leans heavily into the film’s themes of control, obedience, desire, and moral distortion.
“Drive-Away Dolls” (2024)
Our reviewer Rob Dean enjoyed this film:
A particularly impressive element of “Drive-Away Dolls” is that every character is essentially a caricature, but they never feel that way. Through the specific dialogue, lived-in performance, and careful direction, they come across as genuine people that viewers will actually be invested in. Qualley’s aphorism-spouting Texan hayseed is all loud bluster and drawl, but it’s fueled by real heart and grounded in just enough softness (through interactions with Viswanathan’s character) that you see them as a person and care about them as such.
Jason Zingale, had a less flattering description of Margaret’s accent when he reviewed the Blu-ray.
“Santuary” (2022)
This role is one of the most precise, controlled, and intellectually sharp performances of her career. Margaret plays Rebecca, a professional dominatrix whose relationship with a powerful hotel heir becomes a high-stakes psychological chess match.