Margaret Qualley: much more than 'Andie MacDowell's daughter'

Margaret Qualley is more than just 'Andie MacDowell's Daughter' - she has proven herself to be a star on the screen in her own right. The 28 year old has wowed audiences with a total mixed bag of roles and proved, despite questioning her career choices growing up in the spotlight, that she has some serious talent.

Her most recent endeavour is 'Sanctuary', to be released on 19th May. Rarely do we get so excited about a teaser trailer and this film is set to be everything from steamy to funny; frustrating to horrifying. There is no doubt Margaret Qualley shines in this psychological thriller.

Image: Still from 'Sanctuary' / Neon

'Collider' also praise the new film, saying it's success as an erotic thriller is down to its fantastic leads. Margaret Qualley is an actress to 'take our breath away' and has now made a name for herself in the film and television world. But despite her success as an actress, it wasn't always her dream and the road to Hollywood hasn't been clear sailing.

Image: Still from 'Sanctuary' / Neon

For those who don't already know, Margaret Qualley is the youngest daughter of the well-known actress Andie MacDowell. She was married to the model, musician, contractor and rancher Paul Qualley, whom Andie divorced when Margaret was only five years old.

The couple also parents her older sister, Rainey, who, unsurprisingly, is also an actress, dancer and model, as well as a singer-songwriter, under the name Rainsford. Here she is with her sister at the Christian Dior Cruise 2018 Show.

Margaret Qualley has always wanted to prove herself on her own and by her own means. That is why, from the beginning of her career, she has opted for her father's surname. She didn't want to take advantage of the possible draw to her that could come with the 'MacDowell' surname and use it to promote herself.

In an interview for Paper she confessed that, at times, she is aware that she started from an already privileged position due to those who surround her - and it was precisely for this reason that she never wanted to use her mother's surname to open doors.

Margaret Qualley has been followed by paparazzi since she was very young. Just the fact that she is the daughter of a renowned actress like Andie MacDowell made her a person of interest for many, although the truth is that she has mostly kept out of the spotlight.

She was more of a background kind of girl growing up. Over the years we have seen her own fame grow and she has appeared more and more in the public eye - but never talking about her personal life.

One of Margaret Qualley's great passions in life is dance and, in fact, she trained rigorously in the art throughout her childhood. She went to different schools, including such prestigious ones as the American Ballet Theatre in New York and the North Carolina School of Art.

In 2011, Margaret Qualley took part with her sister Rainey in the Debutante Ball gala held at the Hotel Crillon in Paris. The event was attended by 23 girls from 13 different countries and included not only aristocrats but also artists' children, like Tallulah Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.

Her great knowledge and perfected skills of dance served her well for two of her greatest performances later on. The first of these was the music video 'Kenzo World', directed by Spike Jonze.

The second was the miniseries 'Fosse/Verdon', in which she played one of her childhood idols, the dancer Ann Reinking. This earned her an Emmy Award nomination.

Image: Fosse/Verdon / FX

Margaret Qualley wanted to become a professional dancer but simply couldn't view it as a viable option. The career choice would leave her dependent on her family. So she decided to make a drastic change in her life and become a model, like her mother (depicted here on the cover of 'Grazia').

When she made the decision to become a model, she felt like she had to have her family's approval. Margaret therefore wrote a letter to her mother from New York. She said, "Look, I don't think I want to be a ballerina, so I'm quitting ballet and staying here."

The actress went on to combine casting and paid modelling work with her studies: "I went to the Professional Children's School in New York, and I started modelling because I could do that until I actually figured out what I wanted to do, and it gave me the opportunity to travel."

Margaret Qualley's big modelling debut was at New York Fashion Week, walking the runway for fashion designer Alberta Ferretti.

As a model, Margaret Qualley was at Paris Fashion Week in 2012, modelling for brands such as Valentino and Chanel, as well as posing for prestigious fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Nylon. In 2016, she also appeared in a Ralph Lauren campaign.

Margaret Qualley landed her first acting role pretty much by coincidence in 2013. As she visited her then boyfriend - Broadway and Nickelodeon star Nat Wolff - she happened to be on the set of the film 'Palo Alto', directed by Gia Coppola, the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola. It led her to landing a small role.

The same year she wangled that brief appearance in 'Palo Alto', Margaret Qualley also got one of her most prominent roles. It was in the HBO series 'The Leftovers' where she would begin to consolidate her career as an actress. She joined the cast after its creator, Damon Lindelof (also the creator of 'Lost') penned her for the role of Jill Garvey.

Margaret Qualley got another big breakthrough with the role of Pussycat in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', directed by Quentin Tarantino. Of course, she shared the screen with none other than Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Thanks to this film and her portrayal of a homeless teenager who was part of Charles Manson's cult, she achieved the status of 'Hollywood's promising talent'.

Margaret Qualley's filmography is completed with series such as 'Fosse/Verdon' (for which she was nominated for an Emmy); and with films such as 'Death Note' (2017), 'IO' (2018), 'Seberg' (2019) and 'My Salinger Year' (2020) where she shares the screen with another legendary actress: Sigourney Weaver.

In the Netflix film 'IO' (2018) she starred as Sam Walden alongside Anthony Mackie - well known for playing Sam (The Falcon) in the Marvel Studios film franchise - and other promising supporting actors. But Margaret Qualley definitely established herself as an actress in the great leading role she gained in 'Maid'.

Margaret Qualley certainly began turning heads thanks to 'Maid', Netflix's unexpected hit. She stepped onto the set in style, bringing her real-life relationship with Andie MacDowell onto the screen. Both star in this miniseries playing mother and daughter, albeit with completely different stories to their own.

In 'Maid', Margaret Qualley plays Alex, a young mother on the run, with her daughter in tow, away from her abusive ex-partner. Whilst coping with her relationship with her mother (Andie MacDowell), Alex works very hard doing housework for a precarious salary and fights against the harsh adversities that come hand in hand with the job.

Image: 'Maid' / Netflix

It was Margaret Qualley herself who suggested to Margot Robbie, the show's producer, that she hire Andie MacDowell to play her mother in the series. According to the actress: "It was actually my idea to work with my mom. So I was so lucky that she wanted to do it. I pitched the idea to Margot Robbie and she was just ecstatic and loved it... I’m really grateful that she did it."

When talking about 'Maid', we are automatically drawn to to Margaret Qualley's personal life. In the middle of filming, the actress broke off her relationship with fellow actor Shia Laboeuf after his ex-partner, FKA Twigs, sued him for abuse (something we can't help noticing was remarkably similar to Alex's story in the series). Qualley even publicly showed her support for the singer by sharing the cover of ELLE magazine where she recounted the ordeal she had endured.

On the personal front, after breaking up with Shia Laboeuf, the actress has found love again and is in a stable relationship with musician Jack Antonoff, a member of the band 'Bleachers and Fun'. They are regular collaborators with Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana del Rey and have won five Grammy Awards.

This steamy film that saw Qualley in a role in hot Nicaragua, trying to make her way as a journalist, has also received wonderful critical acclaim for her performance. The Film School Rejects even said Qualley gave a 'tremendous' performance. It is clear the actress takes her job seriously and stuns audience time and time again.

Image: 'Stars at Noon' / Barnstormer Productions

We now wonder what the future has in store for this young talent. Her next project to be released will be the exciting 'Poor Things' with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in a Frankenstein kind of story. Then we have 'Drive-Away Dolls' alongside Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon. But what we are really looking forward to is seeing her skills as a dancer flourish in 'Fred & Ginger' where Qualley takes on the role of Ginger Rogers with Jamie Bell as Fred Astaire. Yet, sadly, we may have to wait a while for this, as shooting is due to begin later on in 2023.