Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are the two main actresses of the film “The Substance”, in French-speaking theaters since November 6, 2024. The two Americans, aged 61 and 30 respectively, talk about their complexes and how they deal with them. manage.
Demi Moore, you said in an interview that women your age want to feel sexy too. Why are you now playing a woman who absolutely wants to regain her youthful body?
Demi Moore: Because a lot of women experience this and “The Substance” approaches this topic in a pretty unique way. I think that on a human level, the film could contribute to a cultural change.
DM: This could be the basis for a better appreciation of our bodies and ourselves. Because while we chase these beauty ideals – chasing the next rejuvenating wonder product or new super-vitamin – we lose sight of our natural beauty.
Have you ever run the risk of losing it?
DM: I’m not like Elisabeth Sparkle in the movie, but I understand her. We all experience times when we compare ourselves to others, when we doubt ourselves and when we are insecure. “The Substance” shows the extreme excesses of the procedures that people are willing to undergo to regain their youth.
Margaret Qualley, you no longer have a public account on Instagram. For what?
Margaret Qualley: It was just too much work for me to take care of the account, no one warned me about this. But I have a private profile. I also find that Kardashian culture strongly influences Instagram and the world in general. With this film, we may be able to counteract this phenomenon a little.
In the film, you represent the ideal body that Demi Moore’s character aspires to. How do you manage not to want to come back one day?
MQ: I think the problem is that we think we have control over what we will look like in the future. If we bury this idea, it will bring us more joy. If we listen to our body and feel good inside, this also radiates outside.
DM: In life, everything depends on what you focus on. Every day we can give ourselves a dose of gratitude for the body we have at the moment. On Instagram, you get a brief hit of dopamine after receiving a like for a great photo, but the spike doesn’t last long. In the long term, you are only happy if you are satisfied with yourself and your body.
You have nude scenes. How did the director arrange the set to make you feel comfortable?
DM: I don’t know if we felt comfortable.
MQ: It wasn’t pleasant. But I had a great accomplice with whom I felt comfortable in this unusual situation. On days when I had nude scenes to shoot, I would start with tequila shots.
DM: You look so surprised! We had to make ourselves as comfortable as possible in these vulnerable scenes.
