One of the most exciting, unapologetic movies of the year,Coralie Fargeat follows up on her 2018 debut Revenge with another feminist take on the exploitation genre, this time starring the iconic Demi Moore. The Substance takes many of the themes explored in Revenge and introspects them, holding a magnifying glass up to the standards set by society for women, especially those entering midlife.
After making its debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the prize for Best Screenplay and even competed for the coveted Palm d'Or, The Substance has been teasing its wide release ever since, with the world finally ready to see this bloody, explosive film in all its gory glory. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of the small cast of characters that appear in The Substance.
Demi Moore
Elisabeth Sparkle
The main protagonist of this socially charged body horror explosion is Elisabeth Sparkle, a once enormously famous media icon, who is now known fondly by the world for her popular TV aerobics show. However, the cruel, ageist regime at her production company notices she is turning 50 and decides to venture down the younger route. Distraught as her world falls from beneath her, Elisabeth is distracted by the taking down of one of her billboards while driving and gets into a frightening car accident. Frustrated and pessimistic about her future - and struggling not to blame herself - Elisabeth is offered a way out via the titular Substance.
An unquestionable icon of film and television, Moore first gained small notoriety thanks to her work on daytime television but quickly exploded into stardom thanks to her movie work in the 1980s. As a member of the Brat Pack, Moore's early film work included the likes of Blame It on Rio, St. Elmo's Fire, and About Last Night..., but it was her Golden Globe-nominated role in Jerry Zucker's Ghost that would make her the talk of Tinseltown. Such was her rise to the top, that Moore even became one of the highest-paid actresses in the world in the 1990s, with her legacy cemented forever. The 21st century has seen a shift in Moore's stardom, with a New York Times bestselling memoir and several supporting roles under her belt, but no hits quite as big as her 1990s heyday. Alas, that might be all set to change with The Substance, as Moore puts in perhaps the greatest performance of her legendary career in a story that will resonate so well with her and her career path.
When approaching the creation of her characters, Fargeat was particular about the name of her protagonist, with the name Elisabeth Sparkle even worthy of a battle to keep the same. In an interview with Collider's Perri Nemiroff at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, Fargeat said:
"I work with symbolism in my movie. There is not a lot of dialogue, so I imagine sound. I think everything that's kind of symbolized in a very simple and meaningful way, I like it. For Sparkle, it was this idea to shine, to be under the light, and to have this moment that means happiness. "Elisabeth" — I don't know why it came that way, but probably because it had this iconic resonance of all the big movie stars in the past. I remember at some point, somebody tried to make me, in production, maybe, change the name because we didn't want to have legal issues, or I don't know why. I said, “No. No way.” I don't know. I knew this name was important."
Margaret Qualley
Sue
Elisabeth Sparkle's literal other half goes simply by the name of Sue, an athletic, picture-perfect young woman who finds herself quickly going after the job vacancy left by her creator. Sue is smart, kind, and gorgeous, and represents the subject of envy that the modern world has dictated. As Sue's career begins to skyrocket, she struggles to even return to her other body, such as the perfection of the life she is crafting for herself. Alas, this is almost certainly the same experience Elisabeth had just a couple of decades earlier.
One of the most-wanted actresses in Hollywood today, Margaret Qualley has shot to fame over the last decade, beginning with her breakout role as Jill Garvey in the hit HBO series The Leftovers. Since then, Qualley hasn't looked back, appearing in many a publicly and critically lauded movie, from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Poor Things. In 2024, Qualley is having an impressive year, having already starred alongside the likes of Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe in Kinds of Kindness, and now dazzling in The Substance.
Dennis Quaid
Harvey
Harvey is the embodiment of the patriarchal, often disgusting societal standards that can pressure women into loathing their own bodies and envying the bodies of others. A creepy man surrounded by his rich, old, white accomplices, Harvey is the man who presses the destruct button on Elisabeth's career simply for turning 50.
Dennis Quaid is a legend of the screen, with a career that spans almost 50 years. From his very first, albeit uncredited, role as a bellhop in 1975's Crazy Mama, right the way through until The Substance,Quaid has proven countless times that his range of acting talents knows no bounds. Whether he's earning a Golden Globe nomination for Far from Heaven; overseeing the law as Deputy US Marshal Sherrill Lynn in the Paramount+ Western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves; or portraying not one but two Presidents, namely Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, in The Special Relationship and Reagan respectively, there seems to be nothing Quaid can't do.
Gore Abrams
Oliver
The Substance's cast is admittedly small, but one pivotal ensemble appearance comes from Gore Abrams as Oliver, Elisabeth and Sue's neighbor. After initially getting angry at the noise made in the apartment next door, when he meets the younger Sue, his attitude changes. Oliver is the embodiment of the casually sex-driven, misogynistic man who idolizes younger women. Abrams' may not be a well-known actor per se, but his filmography does include some notable titles, including Hell House LLC, Marinette, and, of course, The Substance.
Oscar Lesage
Troy
One of Sue's sexual conquests, Troy plays a brief role in The Substance, but interestingly encounters both of the women, having starkly different responses to each. Troy is portrayed by French actor Oscar Lesage, whose short career to date includes roles in the likes of Marie Antoinette, one episode of The Crown, and, most notably, as Henri Thibaut in Monsieur Spade.
The Substance
710
R
Horror
Drama
A new sci-fi body-horror film by Coralie Fargeat centered on a special metamorphic treatment known as The Substance.
- IMDb ID
- tt17526714
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- TMDB User Rating
- 0 .0
- Director
- Coralie Fargeat
- Cast
- Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Coralie Fargeat
- Studio(s)
- Working Title Films , A Good Story