Why Margaret Qualley Didn't Want To Follow In Her Famous Mom's Footsteps
The following article discusses body image and eating disorders.
Many children of celebrities have chosen to follow in the footsteps of their famous parents. One of them is Margaret Qualley, who has made a name for herself as an actress like her mother, Andie MacDowell. Despite this, Qualley has revealed that she wasn't planning on becoming an actress at all. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Qualley, who starred alongside MacDowell in the Netflix series "Maid," was planning on forging a career of her own as a dancer.
Long before her viral appearance in a 2016 ad for Kenzo World, as described by InStyle, Qualley danced ballet and was apparently very serious about it. The Hollywood Reporter notes that she attended the North Carolina School of the Arts and even earned an apprenticeship at the American Ballet Theatre at just 16 years old, but she soon switched gears to acting instead.
Margaret Qualley was apprehensive about becoming an actress
Margaret Qualley told The Hollywood Reporter that she was against becoming an actress like her famous mother, but this changed when she realized the pressure that was being placed on her in the world of ballet, and later, modeling, to maintain a certain appearance. As discussed in an article from the Belfast Telegraph, Qualley stated, "With modeling, there's nothing to work on other than losing weight. I definitely had an eating disorder."
Qualley's boyfriend at the time, actor Nat Wolff, invited her to attend an improvisation class, at which point she realized that she wanted to become an actress after all, and she enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and later dropped out of New York University to pursue her acting career as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
Qualley has brought her ballet background into her acting work
Although she has quit pursuing a career in ballet, Margaret Qualley has brought her dance background into her acting roles, such as in "Fosse/Verdon," in which she portrays the real dancer Ann Reinking, via ELLE. Qualley additionally told the outlet that she watched "All That Jazz," in which Reinking starred, frequently when she was a child. Her role as Reinking was also her first time portraying a real person, Qualley explained, and she was able to meet Reinking in person.
When speaking with the Belfast Telegraph, Qualley shared that she no longer dances ballet, not even to keep up with it as a hobby, adding, "I'll go to Ryan's [Heffington] studio but I don't do ballet because it's too painful for me now. I'm too much of a perfectionist and I don't have as much control as I used to. But if I take a contemporary class, I have a lot of fun."