Margaret Qualley gets candid about fear of ‘rejection' at start of career

Margaret Qualley opened up about the insecurities that haunted her when she first stepped into Hollywood.

In an interview with Vanity Fair February 12, The Substance star admitted she was “overwhelmed” in her late teens and early 20s.

She feared “if I was fully myself, women would hate me and men would hurt me.”

The Maid actress explained further that those anxieties stripped away some of the confidence that comes with embracing femininity.

The daughter of Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley, Margaret began her career as a model before landing roles in The Leftovers and The Nice Guys.

But it was her marriage to musician Jack Antonoff in 2023 that gave her a new sense of assurance.

“Jack has helped me for sure, because he has made me feel more confident to explore all the parts of myself,” she said

She added that she’s now leaning into themes of “Mother Earth, the divine feminine, and surrender.”

However, what began as an overwhelming act turned into a career trajectory that has not been anything but ordinary.

Qualley earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Maid, stunned Cannes audiences with a 13-minute standing ovation for The Substance.

She endured grueling prosthetics and dance sequences that left her physically drained for nearly a year.

“To act confident when you don’t feel confident, to act like you feel hot when you don’t feel hot, is so much harder,” she confessed, describing the role as “brutal.”

Despite setbacks, including what critics called a “snub” at the 2025 Oscars, Qualley has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most fearless performers.

She next stars alongside Glen Powell in A24’s comedy thriller How to Make a Killing which is slated to release February 20.