EXCLUSIVE Revealed: What really sparked Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley's feud with Substance director, writes ALISON BOSHOFF By ALISON BOSHOFF CHIEF SHOWBUSINESS WRITER Published: 22:24 EDT, 13 March 2025 | Updated: 22:28 EDT, 13 March 2025 e-mail View comments Panic attacks, horrifying prosthetics, skin damage leading to year-long acne and a feud which has lasted for ten months – the story behind the making of The Substance with actresses Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is very nearly as sensational as the film itself. The movie, by rising French auteur Coralie Fargeat, 48, was a surprise hit when it was released last September. Telling the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a middle-aged actress who injects herself with The Substance in order to regain her youth, it led to a career revival for Demi Moore, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal and was hot favourite for the Best Actress Oscar earlier this month.
What went largely unnoticed in the lead-up to the Academy Awards were the issues between Moore, co-star Qualley and ‘exacting’ Fargeat, who had realised her creative vision for the film down to every last scene, but alienated her leading ladies in the process. As a source told me this week: ‘Look, we all know that, by reputation, Demi can be a diva — but Coralie is much worse.’ Moore, 62, didn’t thank Fargeat from the stage when she won a Screen Actors Guild award last month – a huge omission that won’t have gone unnoticed.
Demi plays Elisabeth Sparkle,.