Margaret Qualley Biography
Margaret Qualley is a rising Hollywood star, best known for her role as Jill Garvey in HBO's supernatural drama "The Leftovers." She played one of the lead female roles in Quentin Tarantino's film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." In 2024, she delivered a standout performance in the body horror film "The Substance." In addition to her acting career, Qualley is involved in the modeling industry and has appeared in advertisements for brands such as Ralph Lauren, Valentino, and Kenzo. She is an Emmy Award nominee.
Childhood and Youth
When Hollywood actress Andie MacDowell was expecting her third child, she had a feeling it would be a girl. In the fall of 1994, it turned out she was right. The baby girl was named Sarah Margaret.

Modeling Career
At 15, the graceful and elegant Margaret began studying choreography at the American Academy. According to Margaret, she loved dance "on a spiritual level," but it was exhausting work with strict discipline, a diet, and the prospect of a short ballet career. So by 16, after developing an eating disorder (which she later overcame), she decided not to accept the offer to join the North Carolina Dance Theater troupe and instead stayed in the Big Apple to work as a model.She had striking looks, inheriting "soulful" eyes from her father, as journalists later described, and a "radiant" complexion from her mother, which, combined with her full lips and a charming gap between her front teeth, gave her a unique charm.

The commercial for Spike Jonze's Kenzo line, featuring Margaret, was hugely popular online. In the ad, Margaret's character is tired of sitting and pretending to be interested in listening to an official speech at some gala dinner. She steps into the hall and launches into a wild and eerie dance to the track "Mutant Brain" by Ape Drums & Sam Spiegel (ft. Assassin), making faces, convulsing, jumping, shooting lasers, and releasing pent-up irritation.
Still, Qualley felt that modeling wasn't everything she wanted from life. After consulting with her beloved sister, whom she'd tried to emulate in everything as a child, Margaret decided she was ready for a film career. She began to act according to a pre-planned strategy.
Film Career
Following her successful debut, the rising actress landed the role of Jill Garvey in HBO's fantasy series "The Leftovers." The show became a hit, with viewers eagerly anticipating each new episode. Qualley caught industry attention, and offers for other projects began pouring in.




Andie MacDowell shared heartfelt words on social media about her pride in her daughter, while Margaret's father stressed this was only the beginning—his youngest would continue to surprise the world. When she learned about her Emmy nomination, the actress simply posted a vintage car photo with the cryptic caption "Once..." on her personal blog.
The rising Hollywood star also appeared at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 22 for the premiere of noir thriller "Strange But True," where she starred as Melissa.

Alongside Sigourney Weaver, she starred in drama "My Salinger Year," playing an aspiring writer at a literary agency run by the reclusive J.D. Salinger.
Spring 2023 brought the thriller "Sanctuary." Qualley played dominatrix Rebecca, drawing her client into a dangerous sexual game. Margaret's partner was Christopher Abbott.Filming in Panama was a real gift for me. My dad, strangely enough, moved to Panama when I was 14. I visited him and occasionally stayed with him. I stayed at the Inter Turismo hotel, where our main character stays, during my first visit to my father. I was also familiar with many other locations in the film. So, you could say I had been preparing for this project for the last 10 years, and knowing Spanish came in handy. The only thing I had to learn was to speak with an accent so that viewers would believe my character grew up in Nicaragua.

Margaret Qualley's Personal Life
Margaret's had her share of high-profile romances. Early in her career, from 2012 to 2014, she dated fellow up-and-coming actor Nat Wolff, with whom she later starred in the film adaptation of the anime "Death Note." Then her career completely took over, leaving little room for romance.



Margaret Qualley Now
In 2024, Margaret Qualley's career reached new heights. She teams up with Demi Moore in a powerhouse performance for the psychological horror film "The Substance." Moore plays Hollywood star Elizabeth Sparkle, now in her sixties. Despite her stunning looks, age is costing her career opportunities. Desperate, she accepts an offer from a mysterious organization with a twisted solution: an injection that creates her younger replica. Enter Margaret Qualley as Sue, seemingly independent from Elizabeth, who quickly takes Hollywood by storm...
Her sensitivity, work ethic, and ability to form friendships are all incredible. We both knew we had to support each other through filming. Otherwise, you can't live through or create this kind of film., the actress shared.

Sue emerges as a fully formed person. She had no childhood, no adolescence, no complicated relationship with her body. I'm totally different. I was a dancer with a whole professional life behind me. I have scoliosis and bursitis. I had to work hard on myself to connect with the body and fully embody this ideal image. Yoga helped tremendously. But honestly, it was harder than I imagined.