Now more than ten years into her celebrated career, Margaret Qualley (the daughter of ‘90s leading lady Andie MacDowell) has long since shed the Nepo-baby tag. Having worked with Hollywood legends like Ethan Coen and Quentin Tarantino, as well as celebrated international auteurs like Yorgos Lanthimos and Claire Denis, she might soon be able to stake a claim at being the most successful member of the family.
In 2025 alone, Qualley has been on an incredible roll: joining her The Substance co-star Demi Moore at the Oscars, appearing in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon at the Berlin Film Festival, Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t! in Cannes, and even taking time to do a cameo in Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2.
With Honey Don’t! in cinemas and Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars very much on the way, what better time to take stock of the actress’s career so far? Read on to discover Qualley’s ten best performances so far, ranked here in ascending order, and be sure to use the guide below to find out where to stream them on platforms likeDisney+, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
10. Drive-Away Dolls (2024) & Honey Don’t! (2025)
If you appreciate the Coen Brothers but aren’t in the mood for all the existential dread, Honey Don’t! and Drive-Away Dolls might just have the mix of goofy energy you’re looking for. Certainly check out the latter if you enjoyed Dolls, Ethan Coen’s first solo effort. Both movies are period pastiches of classic genres with LGBTQ+ twists, so if you liked the recent Love Lies Bleeding, you should find plenty to enjoy here.
Dolls and Honey Don’t! are the first two instalments in Coen and his partner Tricia Cooke’s proposed trilogy of queer B-movies. Both feature zany performances from Qualley, so if you enjoy the actress in that particular mode, you’ll probably like them both.
9. The Nice Guys (2016)
If you like your buddy cop movies to come with a dash of dark humour and a 1970s sheen (think The Other Guys mixed with Liquorice Pizza), The Nice Guys is an absolute must-see. The story follows a classic mix of noir tropes, but it’s the chemistry between Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling (two actors who really should do more comedies) that really makes it tick.
The movie is known for launching the career of the Aussie actress Angourie Rice, but Qualley’s performance as Amelia, the yellow-dressed woman who sets the drama in motion, is just as memorable.
8. Stars at Noon (2022)
By my count, Margaret Qualley is the only actor to have worked with both Quentin Tarantino and Claire Denis, the legendary French director behind such arthouse classics as Beau Travail and 35 Shots of Rum—and if you’re a fan of those, or are keen to see Qualley directed by one of the greats, I’d recommend giving this one a go.
I’ve placed it high on her list of achievements as it’s one of the rare Qualley movies where the actress undoubtedly plays the lead. The story is set in Nicaragua, with Qualley playing an American journalist who seduces an Englishman (Joe Alwyn) to help her escape. There is even a steamy love scene between the current Ms Jack Antonoff and the former Mr Taylor Swift.
7. Blue Moon (2025)
Speaking of working with the greats, Qualley gives an excellent performance in Richard Linklater’s soon-to-be-released Blue Moon, a movie that follows Ethan Hawke’s Lorenz Hart, propping up the bar in Sardi’s, on the night when his former writing partner, Richard Rodgers, opened his first solo hit, Oklahoma!. Fans of musical theatre history or those who like movies that peek behind the proscenium, such as Birdman, will want to keep an eye out for it.
It’s a dialogue-heavy movie that Linklater presents in real time, meaning that the actors involved (Hawke especially) really get to work their magic—and that goes for Qualley too, who is wonderful as Hart’s 20-year-old protégée, Elizabeth Weiland.
6. Sanctuary (2022)
If you’re a Qualley fan who appreciates intense, confined, and steamy dramas—a little bit Secretary, a tiny bit Phantom Thread—you should really check out Sanctuary. This is, in some ways, the movie that confirmed her potential as a leading indie actress. It also earned her a bunch of rave reviews.
The story is basically a two-hander between Qualley’s dominatrix and her client (played by the always reliable Christopher Abbott), a rich kid who has to break off their arrangement before inheriting the family business. Easier said than done.
5. Poor Things (2023)
Given Qualley’s skills at physical comedy, it was only a matter of time before Yorgos Lanthimos (a director who has always enjoyed turning his actors into rag dolls) cast her in a movie. The actress has now made two: the perfectly fine Kinds of Kindness and the perfectly great Poor Things.
This is a movie that has both the fantastical period vibes of Guillermo del Toro (think Nightmare Alley) and the punky feminist critiques of movies like Titane and The Favourite. Qualley, of course, plays second fiddle to Emma Stone’s iconic Bella Baxter, but she still crushes every scene.
4. The Leftovers (2014-2017)
Okay, so maybe Qualley isn’t the most prominent actor in Damon Lindelof’s The Leftovers, but we would be remiss not to have it around the upper reaches of this list. This was the role that put Qualley on the map, and if you’ve not seen the show, you’re really in for a treat—especially if you’re a fan of Lindelof’s other twisty shows like Lost and Watchmen.
Qualley plays Jill Garvey (the daughter of Justin Theroux’s Kevin and Amy Brenneman’s Laurie), a young woman attempting to deal with the show’s central tragedy while also dealing with all the other things that young women have to try and deal with.
3. Maid (2021)
We can’t claim that Maid has had a similar cultural impact to some other movies and shows on this list, but it’s the project that’s given Qualley her most grounded and dramatic role so far in her career. Of course, she rises to the occasion with a wonderful performance—one that went on to earn her her first nomination at the Golden Globes.
The show is based on the memoir of Stephanie Land, a single mother who escaped an abusive relationship and went to work as a house cleaner. Needless to say, this one deals with some heavy themes, but if you like raw storytelling that tackles serious issues, like Adolescence or The Outrun, then it might be up your street.
2. The Substance (2024)
Qualley’s second nomination at the Golden Globes could hardly have come for a more different movie. Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a gross-out body horror that satirises Hollywood’s obsession with youth and young women. It stars Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a star who begins to take a de-ageing serum that allows her to turn (in a sense) into a younger version of herself, who, of course, is played by Qualley.
Imagine if David Cronenberg directed a mashup of Jekyll and Hyde and Death Becomes Her, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect.
1. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019)
There can only be one movie at the top of this list, and that movie is Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to 1960s L.A.. If you’re a fan of QT’s work, as well as other shows and movies that glamourise that era, like Mad Men or Catch Me if You Can, it’s simply one you have to see.
The story follows Rick Dalton, a TV actor on a career downturn, and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his trusty stuntman. The plot turns on the moment when Booth briefly crosses paths with the Manson girls—almost all of whom are played by now mega-famous actresses, but as Pussycat, Qualley gets the choice role. The image of her trying to hitch a ride from Cliff’s VW convertible remains, at least for now, the most iconic in her career.
