Margaret Qualley teased how “incredibly surreal” it was to play in one Richard Linklater film.
Qualley, who stars in Linklater’s upcoming Lorenz Hart biopic “Blue moon” told IndieWire that she has been trying to work with the auteur for more than a decade.
“I’ve long been a fan of Richard Linklater,” Qualley said. “I think I first auditioned for him 10 years ago.”
While Qualley only revealed that the movie she auditioned for was actually being made, she didn’t say its title… although Linklater’s ’70s college-centric “Everybody Loves Some!!” was released in 2016.
Qualley’s admiration for Linklater was cemented with his 2014 film “Boyhood,” which felt particularly personal to Qualley because she was the same age as its main character. Oscar Nominated”Childhood” was filmed over 12 years, starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
“I ran into Ethan Hawke at the premiere of my friend’s movie, ‘First Reformed,’ because he had just had ‘Boyhood’ come out a few years earlier and that one movie hit me so hard,” Qualley said. “I could draw so many parallels between the kid in ‘Boyhood’ and my life. I was the same age as the guy in ‘Boyhood,’ so it was super crazy because everything that was happening in the world and his life was happening in the world in my life at the same time. I was in the same class as him when Obama was elected, and I was the same age as him. It was so wild for me to see that movie.”
“The Substance” star now gets his chance to act opposite “Boyhood” alum and career Linklater collaborator Hawke with “Blue Moon,” which will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 18. Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale also star. The movie tells the story of American lyricist Lorenz Hart as he struggles with alcoholism and mental health during the opening of the Broadway show “Oklahoma!” on March 31, 1943.
“It’s literally the dream duo,” Qualley said of working with both Hawke and Linklater. “It was incredibly surreal to me. Being in the flesh with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke and being able to not only witness their process but be a part of it was life-changing.”
Qualley’s collaborations with auteurs such as Quentin Tarantino and Coralie Fargeat continue with her reunion with the “Drive-Away Dolls” director Ethan Coen. Qualley directs the Coens’ “Honey Don’t!” along with Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner and Talia Ryder. Qualley plays a private detective looks into a Bakersfield, California-based cult led by a charismatic founder (Evans). Coen co-wrote the film with his wife Tricia Cooke; the duo also wrote “Drive-Away Dolls”.
“I just love Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke so much and love being on their sets,” Qualley said of the Focus Features film, which will be released in May. “I can’t put into words how special it was for me to make that movie and to work with Aubrey Plaza, who is one of my favorite actors and people of all time.”
But don’t count on any “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” parallels aside from the cult plot line.
“Oh, maybe just the car,” Qualley teased, hinting at a period text.
Qualley will next go into production on “Victorian Psychowhich marks another director’s meeting. Qualley’s “Sanctuary” director Zachary Wigon is producing the new adaptation for the big screen, with production starting in February 2024 in Dublin, Ireland. Qualley will play a governess who looks after children in a remote Gothic mansion while hiding her psychopathic tendencies. Thomasin McKenzie also stars A24 thriller.
“I’ve never done a British accent before, so it’s scary,” Qualley said of preparing for the role, which also requires her to don a corset. “I’ve been working on the accent, and my poor man, I’ve limited our films to only British accent films. I read this book about Victorian life and it was really interesting. It’s amazing how much we’ve evolved in such a short time . And I’ve had a corset in the house to get comfortable with it. It’s not as bad as you think, and it’s kind of fun. I’m just trying to get used to moving a little differently.”
And while Qualley has a long list of films in the works, she currently has no desire to direct herself.
“(Working with Linklater) inspired me to do more of what I’m already doing,” Qualley said. “I don’t really have any big directorial ambitions, but I really value directors and I feel like I’m doing such a different thing than they are. I really like just love working with people who I feel like know more about movies than I do and learn from them.”
