Margaret Qualley reflects on early acting challenges

Margaret Qualley opened up about her early days in Hollywood and the stress that came along with it.

The Substance actress is daughter of Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley. She made her acting debut in 2013's Palto Alto and has since starred in 39 films, television and music video credits.

In an interview with the Vanity Fair, Qualley said, "I started working so young, and when I first started acting, I was just overwhelmed."

Sharing the major challenge, she faced, the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star added, "I felt like if I was fully myself, women would hate me and men would hurt me. And so that took away some of the tools that come with being a woman because I was scared."

The Golden Globes nominated star revealed that with the passage of time and cementing her steps in the industry she now has "more control in my life."

"I can kind of lean more into the sensual and the feminine," Qualley explained.

Jack Antonoff’s wife further shared that she’s highly driven and competitive, often taking on more than she can manage and learning the hard way that her work sometimes outpaces her capacity.

Qualley has two movies set to release in 2026, and next stars in Glen Powell in this month's How to Make a Killing.

She will then act opposite to Jacob Elordi in Ridley Scott new movie The Dog Stars, which is slated for release on August 28.