Joey Magidson
Margaret Qualley, ever since I first saw her on the screen in The Nice Guys (and Palo Alto), has struck me as an actress worth keeping an eye on. Early in her career, she just had a screen presence and a vibe that suggested stardom. Now, having seen over a decade of strong work from her, I know I was right, especially as recent turns in Blue Moon and especially The Substance scored her Academy Award buzz. To say her first Oscar nomination is coming is not speculative, it’s just stating a likely fact. With her newest turn in Ridley Scott‘s The Dog Stars now in theaters, it was a perfect excuse to fete her and rank her best work to date, so that’s exactly what I did…
In my review of The Dog Stars (here), I spoke about her amongst the cast like so:
Jacob Elordi leads an underserved yet effective cast. Elordi, alongside Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, and Margaret Qualley, only really gets one note to play, but they each play it well. Elordi is the good guy with a deep hole in his heart. Brolin is the wisecracking tough guy who never wants to admit his affection for his friend. Pearce is also playing a tough, though more of a protective father. Qualley gets a similar wound to play to Elordi’s, but her character has a curiosity to her that’s at least a breath of life into the film. The writing lets them all down, unfortunately, but their work is better than this movie deserves.
Last year, my highly positive review of Honey Don’t (here) included this bit about Qualley:
Margaret Qualley is once again an absolute riot, doing some of her best work with Coen. She had amazing chemistry with Geraldine Viswanathan in Drive-Away Dolls, which she recaptures here with Aubrey Plaza. Qualley feels equally at home playing detective as she is rattling off her zinger-filled dialogue.
Previously, my rave review of The Substance (here) spoke highly of Qualley, alongside Demi Moore, like so:
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley have never been better. They’re both emotionally and physically naked here, working in concert with each other. While they’re not identical, the way that they evoke each other is wonderful. Moore especially goes all-out in a de-glam type performance that will blow you away. The role calls for someone of her ilk and she absolutely knocks it out of the park. Watching Moore be this free and this bold is exhilarating. As for Qualley, it’s a whole new side of her, which I found very exciting. She’s leaning in to the elements that are preying upon Moore, making for a really interesting dichotomy.
Below, you can see how Qualley stacks up for me. As I said above, she’s getting better and better with every performance, it seems, and that holds true with two of her more recent ones, Blue Moon and The Substance, at the top. I also loved her supporting turn in Poor Things, as well as both of her Ethan Coen helmed comedy performances, in Drive-Away Dolls and Honey Don’t. Where does The Dog Stars show up, if anywhere? Find out next…
Here now is my ranking of the best performances to date from Margaret Qualley. Behold:
Honorable Mention: How to Make a Killing, The Nice Guys, and Seberg
10. The Dog Stars
8. Sanctuary
7. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
4. Honey Don’t
3. Poor Things
2. Blue Moon
What is your favorite Margaret Qualley performance? Let us know!
Is it weird to say she feels a little like Nic Cage? Like, her style is extreme and completely fearless, which can lead into some overacting, but also can yield some goddamn treasures.
I can see the comparison, though I tend to not find her overacting, but get where you’re coming from.
This is going to come off like a backhanded compliment, but I swear it’s not — the thing I appreciate most about Margaret Qualley is that she’s doing what nepo baby actors should be doing, which is use her immense privileges to elevate co-stars and filmmakers who don’t enjoy the family connections she has.
She never has to worry about financial insecurity or opportunities drying up, so rather than snag a steady paycheck in a big ongoing franchise, she’s mostly been doing weird little indie projects with less advantaged actors. She can afford to work with riskier, edgier filmmakers who can’t necessarily cut her huge paychecks like Coralie Fargeat, Maggie Betts, and Claire Denis, and does so more often than her peers. She can’t wish away the circumstances of her birth, but she can agree to play second fiddle to Emma Stone, make out with Geraldine Viswanathan, and dom Christopher Abbott, all of whom had to enter Hollywood from the outside.
It makes sense, and I’m sure she’d take it as a compliment. It also bodes very well for her career.