The Substance’stight focus on its central cast benefits the dark horror satire about the entertainment industry. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, The Substance is focused on an aging actor celebrity who finds herself without a job after being forced out of her TV show. Desperate to regain her notoriety, she reluctantly starts using a mysterious black market drug that creates a second younger version of herself. The Substance is largely focused on the back-and-forth that erupts between the two versions of the celebrity, steadily exposing their internal fears and darker impulses.
The film maintains its focus primarily on its lead character, Elisabeth. An aging star who fears her golden days are behind her, Elisabeth decision to embrace the Substance as a solution to her problems only sets her up for far more horrifying results. The main cast ofthe body horror filmThe Substanceis limited to only three actors, but the film’s grim view on Hollywood is fleshed out by several up-and-coming character actors. Here are the stars ofThe Substanceand where you’ve seen them before.
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Age: 61
Active Since: 1981
Actor: Born in Rosewell, New Mexico, Demi Moore is the star ofThe Substance. After making her debut in 1981 in films likeChoicesand shows likeGeneral Hospital, Moore became one of the infamous “Brat Pack” and found her big break in films likeSt. Elmo’s FireandAbout Last Night….Demi Moore’s biggest hit remainsGhost, which co-starred in alongside Patrick Swayze. Steadily shifting into more art-house films and supporting roles over the years,Moore has remained a consistent movie starin Hollywood for four decades.
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Meredith Johnson
Character: InThe Substance,Demi Moore plays long-time Hollywood star Elisabeth. A popular entertainer who broke big decades before the present-day, the film’s plot is set in motion when Elisabeth is fired from her long-time role headlining a workout TV show. Desperate to regain her youth and success, Elisabeth utilizes the mysterious substance to create a secondary version of herself. However, Elisabeth’s jealousies and insecurities steadily drive her to desperate acts of rebellion and frustration with her younger counterpart.
Age: 29
Active Since:2011
Actor: The daughter of fellow actor Andie MacDowell, Margaret Qualley was born in Kalispell, Montana. After making her cinematic debut in Gia Coppola’s dramaPalo Alto,Qualley found her big break with the role of Jill Garvey in HBO’sThe Leftovers. In the subsequent decade, Qualley has been nominated for several awards, including an Emmy for her performance as Ann Reinking inFosse/Verdonand a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Alex inMaid.
Drive-Away Dolls
Jamie Dobbs
Character:Sue is the younger version of Elisabethwho is created thanks to the Substance. Although the two initially share a mind, Sue’s enthusiastic embrace of her youth and celebrity status quickly leads to conflict between her and Elisabeth. As the film progresses, Sue becomes increasingly confrontational with her counterpart from afar, and becomes more committed to remaining the dominant personality.
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Age: 70
Active Since:1975
Actor: Born in Houston, Texas,Dennis Quaid spent the early years of his movie careerappearing in films likeBreaking AwayandThe Night the Lights Went Out in Georgiabeforefinding his big break withThe Right Stuff. Dennis Quaid’s career has varied over the years from romantic period pieces likeFar From Heaven, crime dramas likeTraffic, fantasy epics likeDragon Heart, and family film fare likeThe Parent Trap. His recent roles have included voicing Jaeger Clade in Disney’sStrange Worldand playing former President Ronald Reagan inReagan.
Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Character:Harvey is a TV executive and one of the antagonists ofThe Substance. A self-centered and surface-level executive who shifts from grossly crude to sickeningly complimentary between scenes, Harvey unwittingly sets off the events of the film by jumping at the chance to replace Elisabeth as the lead of her workout show. Quickly becoming enamored with Sue’s potential as a star, Harvey appears throughout the film as the personification of the entertainment industry’s predatory and heartless approach to actors and stardom.
The Substance’s Supporting Cast
AlthoughThe Substanceis primarily focused on Elisabeth and Sue, there are some other notable performers in supporting roles who help flesh out the entertainment world that the women are a part of. Hugo Diego Garcia (Death and Other Details) briefly appears as Diego, one of Sue’s romantic partners. French actor Oscar Lesage (Monsiuer Spade) appears as Troy, another young man encountered by Elisabeth and Sue.
Gore Abrams (Marinette) plays Oliver, one of Elisabeth’s neighbors,highlighting the film’s views on casual sexism and harassmentexperienced by women. Robin Greer (The Serpent Queen) appears briefly but in an important role as the unnamed nurse who introduces Elisabeth to the concept of the Substance. For the most part though,The Substanceremains firmly focused on Elisabeth and her attempts to regain her lost youth and success as a star.
The Substance
Cast
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
