2019-09-01_Harpers_Bazaar_Australia.

n a worldofelusivemultihyphenates,it’s impressivethat

MargaretQualley hadnotonebuttwoquitesolidcareer

pathsshecouldhavetaken.Whileshe’sabouttojoinsome

of Hollywood’s biggest names onscreen in this month’s

QuentinTarantino-directedblockbuster,OnceUpona Time

in Hollywood, thingsalmostturnedoutquitedifferentlyfor

theMontana-born24-year-old.Havingalreadydedicateda good

portionof heryouthtoballetdancing,leavinghomeat 14tostudy

at theUniversityof NorthCarolinaSchoolof theArts,Qualleyhad

a come-to-Jesusmomentas shewassettobeginanapprenticeship

with the prestigious North Carolina Dance Theatre.

“Ithitmelike,Is thisactuallygoingtobegoodformyheadand

heart?andI didn’tthinkit was,soI quitaltogether,”sherecalls.For

someoneallof16,it wasquitetheself-discovery.“[Ballet]takesso

muchdedication...you’realwaysstrivingtobeperfectandI was

reallyconsumedbythat.I realisedI wasdoingit forthewrong

reasons.”Eschewinga dancingcareer,Qualleywashardlygoing

to pursuea quotidianpursuitliketeachingsuburbanschoolkidsto

honetheirturnout.Hermotheris actorAndieMacDowell,so,as

Qualleypointsout,“anormallifewasneverreallyonthecards.

It didn’treallyfeellikeanoptionforme.”Qualleyrelocatedto

New York and was signed by modelling agency IMG. Then she

AsMargaretQualley

getssettoenterthe

stratosphereviaherrole

inthenewQuentin

Tarantinofilm,

ElleMcCluregetsthe

skinnyonthelocked-

downall-starset,and

whyshetradedballet

forfollowinghermum

into Hollywood

W h at ’s

n e w,

Pussycat

I

BRIAN HIGBEE/

WONDERLAND

/ART PARTNER

Margaret Qualley.

HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2019