Writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a relatively simple movie in some respects, with its high concept plot and limited number of settings, but in addition to being rich with metaphor, it’s a film that demanded a great deal from stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. On top of the emotional extremes experienced by the characters, there are also physical extremes, with both actors doing nude scenes and working with complicated body horror prosthetics. Given these complicated aspects in bringing protagonists Elisabeth Sparkle and Sue to life, Coralie Fargeat maintained very open communication with the stars – and she spoke about that relationship when I interviewed her virtually earlier this month prior to the arrival of The Substance in theaters.
Coralie Fargeat Was Quick To Illustrate Her Vision For The Substance One of my early questions was about the discussions she had with Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley after they respectively had the chance to read the script, and she first noted her emphasis on her aesthetic vision and heavy use of symbolism. Said the French filmmaker, It was talking through, first of all, the theme, like what the movie was about – which strongly resonated with both of them for different reasons. But as well, for me to share a lot of what the movie was gonna be beyond the trajectory of the characters, because the movie is really made in such a way that everything is part of telling the story: the locations, the filmmaking, the sou.
