Here’s How Beyoncé & Dua Lipa Inspired Margaret Qualley’s Character in ‘The Substance’

In The Substance, Margaret Qualley’s character turns into an overnight superstar. So naturally, the film’s costume director Emmanuelle Youchnovski turned to some real-life idols for inspiration — including Beyoncé and Dua Lipa.

In an interview with Next Best Picture published Tuesday (Jan. 14), the creative opened up about studying the two pop stars while designing the wardrobe for Sue. In the Coralie Fargeat-directed horror flick, the character — played by the Poor Things star — replaces Demi Moore’s Elisabeth as the leading lady of a popular workout program after the Ghost actress’ character clones herself into Sue, whom she believes is a younger, hotter version of herself. 

“I took [inspiration from] the video clip of Beyoncé’s ‘Blow,’ where she had the colors, you remember this one?” Youchnovski said, referencing the 32-time Grammy winner’s 2013 track. “And I also took a lot of inspiration from Dua Lipa, because she wears a lot of bodysuits.”

“But the bodysuit, it’s metallic, it’s fuchsia, it’s neon,” the costumer continued, noting that the “Levitating” singer’s look also inspired her to add “more skin” to Sue’s gear via cut-outs.

While Youchnovski referenced modern pop stars for Qualley’s character, however, the designer said she deliberately sourced from the 1980s — think Jane Fonda — for Moore’s role. “The most difficult thing for us was to have the same show with different points of view: Elisabeth’s view and Sue’s view, the new one,” she added. “If we do ‘80s things for Elisabeth, it’s more easy for us to do a new one for Sue, like Dua Lipa, or Beyoncé, or whatever.”

After first premiering at Cannes — where it won best screenplay — The Substance arrived in theaters in September, going on to clear $70 million at the global box office. Both Qualley and Moore have received critical acclaim for their performances in the project, with the latter recently taking home best actress in a musical or comedy at the 2025 Golden Globes.  

But while Bey and Dua may have inspired Sue’s appearance, Qualley previously revealed that it was another pop star who got her into the headspace to play the character. “We all just had the Brat summer with Charli XCX, and I was listening to Charli as my Sue inspo,” the Drive Away Dolls star told Brut America in October. “She has a lot of good, like, pump-it-up girl songs. I got that Sue energy from Charli’s old music, so that’s where my head was.”