At 88, Ridley Scott has seen just about every type of actor walk onto a movie set.
Margaret Qualley, however, clearly left a memorable impression.
“She is hilarious,” Scott told People magazineof working with the 31-year-old actress on The Dog Stars. “She is, above all things, a character. She is a character.”
Qualley stars as Cima in the post-apocalyptic thriller, based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel. She plays a doctor surviving in an isolated mountain community with her father, Pops, played by Guy Pearce.
Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi’s Hig lives in the Colorado wilderness with his dog before a mysterious radio signal sends him searching for answers.
Scott says Qualley’s personality made her a natural choice for Cima.
“In a way, it’s very fresh,” he said. “She’s very open and will say what she thinks, which is also fresh. A lot of people don’t say what they think.”
That honesty apparently works perfectly with Scott’s own approach to filmmaking.
“I say what I think,” he noted. “And as soon as somebody says that to me, I’m immediately relaxed, so therefore you can have a good working relationship.”
The director also praised Qualley’s energy, offering perhaps the most enthusiastic review possible: “Margaret’s a hoot,” he added. “She is hilarious.”
But beneath the laughs, Cima’s story carries plenty of weight. Scott says her relationship with her father forces her to think about a future where she could eventually be alone.
“There’s the reality check of where you are, where you’re going, and what is just over that hill,” Scott says.
The Dog Stars lands in theaters on August 28.
2026-08-28 17:36:00
