Some film industry bonds are forged under klieg lights and red carpets, but Margaret Qualley and Carrie Coon’s friendship predates Hollywood's fanfare. Back then, Qualley was a bright-eyed newcomer, while Coon—already a stage luminary—was stepping gingerly into the film world. Fast-forward to now, and their winding career paths have crisscrossed in ways neither could’ve scripted: Coon juggling prestige TV turns in Fargo and The Gilded Age alongside off-Broadway tour de forces like Placebo and Mary Jane and indie slow-burns including His Three Daughters and The Nest; Qualley oscillating between off-kilter charm and serious roles with the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos and Coralie Fargeat as though it’s second nature.
In a candid interview with Qualley, Coon trades stories on everything from conquering the demands of live theater to Coon's surviving The White Lotus as if in a fever dream—six months, twelve moves, two hospitalizations. Together, they explore the artistry of preparation (or not), the allure of reinvention, and the weighty challenge of raising kids in a precarious world. Ever the keen observer, Qualley nudges Coon to open up about taking risks, making sacrifices, and those life-altering moments that shape who we become.
Margaret Qualley: You have two [kids] and you're done, right?
Carrie Coon: Yeah, though Tracy, a couple of weeks ago, was like, "Are we done? Don't we make great kids?" I was like, "Honey, honey, yes," but honestly, I'm so competitive in a way that I was like... "I bet I could do it."
Qualley: It just seems hard to do, generally. Even to have one at all.
Coon: I think about keeping my kids alive at the end of the world, so I'm like, well, I could probably keep two alive, but maybe not three.
Qualley: Is that on your mind all the time? I think back to when I was a little kid; my dad, when I was in fifth grade, was like, "Honey, I'm sorry I brought you into this world." But I just remember being like, "No, I'm happy to be here."
Coon: I'm glad to hear that. I'm not taking my kids to like doomsday summer camp yet. They are blissfully unaware of how I feel. But I do feel responsible for preparing myself for whatever the world is going through, which I don't have a schema for.
Qualley: You live in Chicago, right?
Coon: No, we moved to New York when The Gilded Age started.
Qualley: We have not had a chance to catch up! When we we worked together [on The Leftovers], I was a child.
Coon: So was I in a way, Margaret. It's the first big job I ever had. I was really left out waiting for it to happen. I was so intimidated by the Hollywood of it all too. I felt like everybody else was in Hollywood. And I felt really outside of it.
Qualley: Interesting. Where I stood, you were the most grounded, talented craft actor there. I mean you're one of the most respected actors out there. Whenever anyone mentions your name, it's always followed by "She's the best, she's the goat, she's the greatest." It's just the reality. That was my first job.
Coon: You were so young, but I loved you so much. I mean, I love you. You're so beautiful and stunningly scary, but you're such a goof. I know you wanna do all the leading lady parts and not just play goofballs your whole life, which you're not doing. You're doing all kinds of things, really interesting, beautiful things. Fundamentally, you're gonna have a much longer and more interesting career because of your qualities, which is like a very interesting upbringing in the business, but outside of the business, right?
Qualley: It sounds like you're interviewing me now. Because the reality is that I know your work very well. I feel like I have a sense of who you are in this world, but I don't actually know that much about how you got where you did, because when you're 18 years old, you don't ask those kinds of questions, you're too shy to be inquisitive, or at least I was. What made you want to act? How did that happen?
Coon: I grew up in a small town outside of an urban area, and we did not do anything because my mom worked, so she did not drive us anywhere. One day, my friend took me to the Akron Civic Theater, which is an atmospheric theater, so it had the stars and the clouds. Have you ever seen those on the ceiling?
Qualley: Yes, gorgeous.
Coon: It's one of the oldest buildings still standing out there, and I saw Babes in Toyland. I was about 10, and the kids on stage were also my age. I was like, "What is happening?" I had no idea that that was even possible. My grandfather was in World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, but when he came home, he did a couple of plays at a community theater in Akron called The Weathervane. I looked in the back of our newspaper, and they were holding general auditions for their season at The Weathervane, which was still there. Even though it was decades ago, my grandfather had acted, so I'd heard of it. I went to my mom and said, "Mom, can I do auditions for this community theater?" And she was like, "No."
I mean, I was allowed to do stuff. I played sports and was allowed to participate in activities and other things. I just had to find my own ride. So, flash forward, I'm playing soccer. I'm a senior in high school. I had done a musical just for fun. I was not good because I can't walk and sing at the same time, but I was in the background, and they were doing Our Town. After school, I was waiting for soccer practice to start, and I kind of secretly prepared. I auditioned for the play and got the lead. I came home crying because I was on the soccer team, I was class president, I was in all these organizations, I was at a high degree of participation, and I was very stressed out. But I still did the rehearsals, and I did this play, and it was terrible, but I knew it was a good play, and that was the first time I experienced my own power in the world or on stage. I really could feel that control; I had the audience's attention, and that was very exciting because I was a middle child of five. Then I went to college, studied abroad, changed majors eight times, and did a couple of classes in the theater department. I did probably three or four plays. When I got to the end of it, I had a professor in the English department who was like, "Hey, you could do a thesis." Then my theater professor was like, "I think you could go to graduate school for acting." And I was like, "What?"
I did the URTA auditions where you audition for all these graduate schools at once, and I walked into a room where all these people were doing vocal warmups and stretching. I just had no idea what was right. I popped into the rooms for NYU and Yale, not having any idea what I was getting myself into. I ended up getting an offer to go to UW Madison in Wisconsin. I said to my parents, "You think I should go to acting school?" And they were like, "Why not?" I drove to Wisconsin like that day to find an apartment, immediately got a boyfriend, and started acting school.
Qualley: What was the first big break? Did you go to Chicago after that?
Coon: I worked for four years at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. It was a 1,100-seat house. I was spending six or seven months out of the year at APT, and then the other part of the time, I was sort of gradually transitioning to Chicago because that was the closest big city. We did these auditions, and I ended up getting an agent. I started doing commercial auditions. I was terrible. I thought you just didn't move your face; I had no idea how to act on camera. Then I eventually booked a guest star spot on NBC's Playboy Club. All the while, I was auditioning at Steppenwolf. I was not in the company. I finally got a role on the main stage, and that was Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I met Tracy, and that play premiered in Chicago, and then 18 months later, it went to Broadway with Ellen Lewis. Then, from there, it moved very fast and then slowly because I booked The Leftovers in July, and then I did Gone Girl in August.
Qualley: I remember that moment. It was a bit like the world was being introduced to Carrie Coon, and there was no turning back.
Coon: I was like, "Is there a turning back? Is anybody turning back? What's gonna happen to me?"
Qualley: So then you did Gone Girl, then you did The Leftovers. What's your relationship to the Chicago theater scene? Is it still alive and well, or are those days kind of behind you?
Coon: No. I'm still a company member technically at Steppenwolf, but I haven't been on stage there in a long time. I miss it tremendously.
Qualley: Are you gonna do a show here?
Coon: I hope so. We really want to move our production of Bug to New York.
Qualley: Oh my god, it's so good and it's so fucked.
Coon: It's so hard. As the pandemic started happening, we were in the middle of Bug, and the audience just started getting darker and quieter. Then when the pandemic ended, Steppenwolf decided to revive Bug and restart the run in order to restart the theater and so we actually did it again after the pandemic.
Qualley: Well, it's totally brilliant and amazing. I want to say hats off to you, to do that every night is so masochistic, Carrie.
Coon: I was 13 weeks postpartum with my second child.
Qualley: Are you okay?
Coon: You know what was great? Tracy told me it would be liberating. I have to say it really was. You're just like, "Here I am." It was so great. And what you come to realize is that the play is so hard that being naked is the least of your worries.
Qualley: I actually wasn't even thinking about that. I was thinking more about the psychosis, but yeah, now that you mentioned that you're naked.
Coon: Come and see it, and then you can play it one day.
Qualley: Before we get off to the races, let me ground us in The White Lotus for a second. What the fuck?
Coon: Have you watched all the seasons?
Qualley: I've watched all the seasons and I've watched the first six episodes of this one. It's just another example of you doing such complicated, intricate, and beautiful character work. That character breaks my heart. And those girls! I could watch the three of you guys forever. You were in Thailand for seven months, is that right?
Coon: I was there for six because Gilded Age started, but six was long enough. The tricky part was getting on the Gilded Age set like 48 hours after I landed.
Qualley: Right, you had to switch gears completely.
Coon: Luckily, since I hadn't been home, they didn't have any costumes ready, so they just had me in my nightgown in my room for the first week. It was a nice way to ease into it. The thing was being away. I mean, I didn't take my family with me.
Qualley: Wait, you were alone for six months in Thailand?
Coon: I was commuting. I was there for four weeks. I flew home. I was there for six weeks. I flew home. I was there for four weeks. I flew home. It's horrible. It was the longest flight in the world, you know, I got really used to that. I got pneumonia. I was hospitalized twice. Everyone else had bacterial sepsis. Luckily, it's a marvelous hospital and a very comprehensive healthcare system.
Qualley: So it wasn't as glamorous as [on the show]?
Coon: Here's the thing, it's not like we just plunked out at the Four Seasons for six months. We moved 12 times, so we were living out of a suitcase. We were kind of running away from the rainy season and they had to have multiple locations, so we were always relocating.
Qualley: This really isn't what I had in mind when I was watching the show. I was like you get to go to a resort for six months? Sign me up.
Coon: Oh no, no. When we had our premiere, Mike White was like, "The cast knows this was a really hard job." It was the hottest that region has been in the history of keeping records. The schools were closed in Thailand, in Singapore, in Indonesia because it was so hot. The pools themselves were like 85 degrees.
Qualley: So this is where you're like, "Climate change, yeah."
Coon: I was face to face [with it]. I didn't go outside from 9 to 4 on days I didn't work because the UV index is so high. And we're pale little girls. And, remember we’re at the resort for “a week,” not six months, so we couldn't change color.
Qualley: Were you really concerned about that continuity?
Coon: I openly love continuity. I like figuring out what's the pattern of things and what's repeatable that actually really works that I can make new every time we do it. I like being the ally of the script. I like knowing when I put my glass down, but I also like throwing it out the window if the thing is shifting. I'm not slavish about it.
Qualley: I've understood that there are certain actors that have a very specific process and no matter where they go, whatever they do stays the same. Then, there's other actors that are a little bit more malleable and the director sets—hopefully we're all on the same page of what the tone is of the film—how the shoot goes. To your point, there's certain instances where it's really important that the rhythm of the things means that you put the glass down here, and there's certain instances where everything's meant to be a live wire, every man for themselves.
Coon: I find that roles ask for different preparation. I don't find the same preparation helpful. Is it kind of alive and loose with Yorgos [Lanthimos]?
Qualley: Yeah, I think that's very loose, very flying by the seat of your pants.
Coon: Changing it on every take? Do you do a lot of takes?
Qualley: Not many takes, shooting on film, the film is precious.
Coon: Yeah, I've also just gotten more outside-in than inside-out as I've gotten older. I used to be incredibly cerebral. A lot of reading, a lot of mental preparation. Now, I find that physical life is so instructive. Once I did Fargo, that's when it started shifting because you have these big boots on, you have this accent, you have this huge coat, you have a shotgun. And I was like, "Well, this is three quarters of the work." And then the script is really great. You're like 90% of the way there and all you gotta do is get out of your own way.
Qualley: I really relate to that version of things. There used to be a lot of journaling in my youth, and there's a lot less now. If I am journaling, it's not like from the POV of my character, it's more like, "This happened and I can't sleep."
Coon: Maybe we're doing it wrong, but I don't know. You are a dancer, and I was an athlete. Do you find that the sort of flow state is the same?
Qualley: Totally. I would have been really happy being a dancer I just didn't really know where it was gonna take me. There's much more longevity in this career. I think I've pushed my body so intensely from such a young age. I already had hip and knee issues at like 16. I'm definitely gonna have to get a hip replacement.
Coon: You’re 30, that's the best though.
Qualley: Yeah, I'm definitely the happiest I've ever been. I'm waiting for the shoe to drop, but things are pretty good. His Three Daughters was outstanding. You're so good in it. I was blown away. What was that like? Tell me you didn't get pneumonia.
Coon: Oh my gosh, no. I had just said to Tracy the week before [I got the script], "I don't think I can keep acting. I think I have to stay home." We have two kids, he was working a lot, and I was running the household. I mean, we're privileged enough to have some help, but I just said, "I can't do this. I don't feel like I can adequately prepare for a job." Then, Azazel [Jacobs] drives the script up to my house in hard copy. He just said, “Listen, I wrote this for you and Lizzie [Olsen] and Natasha [Lyonne]. Lizzie's on board. I believe Natasha's on board, and I want you to read it and tell me what you think.” Of course, it opens with that monologue from Katie. There was nothing arbitrary. The way it was being shot was written into the script.
Qualley: I love that, just the luxury of knowing that what you're doing is actually gonna be in the movie.
Coon: And we were going to shoot it in order, which you never do. So, the argument you had the night before is the thing you're actually dealing with the next day you come to work. It was just so informative to shoot in order. It unfolds in such a real way. It felt like we were making a home movie for Azazel that no one was going to see. Then lo and behold…
Qualley: Everyone saw it.
Coon: Yeah, Netflix kind of shepherded us through this award season. It was wonderful to get to keep seeing each other because we really love all those people, including Jovan [Adepo], who'd worked with the two of us on The Leftovers. Also, people are like, "Oh no, I'm Katie." I’m kind of a combo of Lizzie and Katie. I do give a lot of unsolicited advice, Margaret.
Qualley: Is that so? I'm gonna solicit advice from you then.
Coon: I'm always here.
Qualley: What else is going on? What do you want to be doing? Is there a director you're dying to work with? A story you're dying to tell?
Coon: Well, I'll say this, I'm still paying the price for six months in Thailand. I was away a lot this year, so I am kind of investing in the family rhythm so that Tracy can do some work. He has all the jobs right now. So as recently as yesterday, I passed on a job that I really would have loved to do.
Qualley: What does that feel like for you?
Coon: It's complicated. I understand what my priorities are. I know what my kids need, and I'm willing to make some sacrifices in my career in order to make sure that that my home life still feels stable for them. You know, having grown up in a showbiz family, that there's a lot of uncertainty in there and things happen quickly, so there can be a level of volatility that can be disturbing for children. But I am very proud that my kids are growing up in a really stable home except for the fact that our schedules can change out of nowhere.
Qualley: I also find, that it's super helpful to watch the thing [you passed on], because then you're kind of like,
"Oh, right, it had to be like this. That's not me."
Coon: Do you watch yourself?
Qualley: I'm not standing behind the monitor, but I'll watch it at the premiere. I'm not thrown—or if I am, I'm not aware of it—by watching myself. I also want to celebrate the thing. The movie is so much bigger than me and I wanna celebrate my friends and costume and camera and hair and makeup and everyone else in the movie.
Coon: You have the heart of a theater person, you do.
Qualley: Aw shucks. Do you watch the things you're in?
Coon: I do, yeah. It does get hard as you get older. I think aging in HD is confronting, and I haven't had any work done, I'll say with pride. Just having a daughter. I'm choosing not to do anything, and so it's humbling.
Qualley: Oh, come on.
Coon: But I also get over it really quickly. Then, I focus on my habits. Like, "Oh, look at that thing you always do when you're mad, is there some other way you could do that? Can you notice yourself doing it next time and maybe make it another choice?" I just feel like it's really helpful to make different choices. It's really instructive, and my intention is to continue to make those observations so that I can hopefully make other choices that aren't just, like, default choices you don't wanna make in your life. You don't wanna be moving through your life in a way that's reactive, right?
Qualley: I don't know that I wanna mess with the way you lift your shoulders when you're angry. That's kind of special.
Coon: You've demonstrated a tremendous amount of range and willingness to remake yourself, your body, or your voice in pursuit of that thing. I think some young actors maybe don't understand the power of that sometimes. A voice, the body. I just feel like you have a lot of access to that.
Qualley: And you've been on like a steady fucking slam dunk era.
Coon: It's been steady. I'm proud of my IMDb page. I haven't gone through long periods of not working, which is an interesting thing. I have a lot of street cred.
Qualley: You do!
Coon: To your question from before, yeah, I do feel like I don't know what's next. I feel like I'll know it when I see it. Tracy and I, when we encounter the undeniable thing, we will figure out how to make it work.
