Margaret Qualley Reveals She Listens to Charli XCX as Inspiration For Sue in 'The Substance'

"The Substance" star shared that Charli XCX's music served as an inspiration for the character Sue.

On October 22, Brut shared an interview clip on platform X (formerly Twitter) asking co-stars Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore about the songs they listened to embody their characters.

Qualley, who played Sue in "The Substance" responded by mentioning "Brat Summer," a term for the aesthetic and loose lifestyle inspired by Charli XCX's Brat album, "You know, it's funny that to me, it's kind of like a wild timing that the way the universe works because we had the Brat Summer, right? With Charli XCX."

"I was listening to Charli as my 'Sue' inspo because she has a lot of good 'Pump It Up' girls songs," Qualley continued. "To me, I got that kind of 'Sue' energy from Charli's old music, so that's where my head was."

"The Substance" tells the story of a fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle (played by Moore), who uses a black market drug to create a younger version of herself. Sue, the younger one, exudes more star factor and appeal compared to Sparkle.

Charli XCX is known for releasing high-energy and empowering songs, which influenced Qualley's portrayal of the charismatic character.

On the other hand, Moore replied that she preferred silence, before sharing a laugh with Qualley. "Like a world that was absent. Everything was void," she shared. "It was like it needed to be more like nothing."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Qualley chimed in.

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