Margaret Qualley is everywhere you look these days, and she’s currently starring in the summer mystery, Honey Don’t!. Directed by Ethan Coen and co-starring Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans, Qualley leads the dark comedy with deadpan humor and grit. But, before she was leading films by some of the biggest directors, Qualley was a serious ballerina with big aspirations. Eventually transitioning to acting, she finally got to show off her extensive dance background in the intense, biographical FX series, Fosse/Verdon. Based on the life of prolific dancer, choreographer, and director, Bob Fosse, it chronicles his life as one of the late 20th century’s most important — and troubled — artists. Qualley portrayed one of the most influential dancers of the ’70s and ’80s in the series, Ann Reinking, and she stole the spotlight whenever she pirouetted onto screen in an impressive turn prior to worldwide stardom.
What Is the FX Miniseries ‘Fosse/Verdon’ About?
The FX series sheds a much-deserved spotlight on Fosse’s wife, Gwen Verdon, a dance icon and trailblazing Broadway star, who was often the genius behind Fosse’s madness over the course of his career. Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams play Fosse and Verdon, and the two give dazzling performances that highlight the brutality and beauty of what it takes to make it on Broadway and in Hollywood. The eight-episode limited series was a massive undertaking that spanned multiple decades over Fosse and Verdon’s legendary careers, and tap-danced across both their film and stage productions. Executive produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Fosse and Verdon’s daughter, Nicole Fosse, it received critical acclaim and multiple Emmy Award nominations.
Verdon was a four-time Tony-award-winning Broadway star by the late ’50s, and reached fame before Fosse overtook her spotlight. Eventually marrying after working on the Broadway hit, Damn Yankees!, their tumultuous marriage and divorce over the next several decades involved Fosse’s many affairs, drug and alcohol addictions, and obsession with perfection. Winning the Oscar for Best Director for the dark musical Cabaret (he beat out Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather) solidified his status as the daring, inventive auteur he became known for.
Also directing film classics like All That Jazz!, in addition to choreographing and directing the original stage production of Chicago, (in which Verdon originated the role of Roxy Hart), Fosse’s name is cemented in both Broadway and Hollywood history. What the series aims to correct, however, is the forgotten legacy of Verdon, the woman who jump-started Fosse’s career and was just as, (if not more so) brilliant in shaping the world of dance on Broadway. The series also features the long-lasting affair Fosse had with famed dancer Ann Reinking, expertly played by Qualley.
Margaret Qualley Shows Off Her Star Power in FX’s ‘Fosse/Verdon’
Williams rightfully won an Emmy Award for her performance as Broadway legend, Gwen Verdon, which required her to perfectly execute Fosse’s notoriously difficult choreography, and remains the powerhouse performance of the series. But, the series’ scene-stealer, who also perfectly executed Fosse’s maddeningly difficult steps was Qualley. Reinking, who was known as “the woman with legs for days,” was a muse of Fosse’s, and one of the most influential dancers during the ‘70s and ‘80s. A pioneering jazz dancer who was able to execute Fosse’s angular, controlled approach to the style, the romantic relationship began in 1972 when Reinking was featured in Fosse’s Broadway musical, Pippin. Qualley strikes like a lighting bolt as she sashays into her first scene dancing as Reinking, and from there, leaves a lasting impact on the series as the Tony-Award-winning dance legend.
Qualley’s introduction scene features her in a black leotard in the dance studio, rehearsing Fosse’s difficult choreography with his trademark hats and canes. Qualley immediately stuns with her body movements and expressive eyes, and easily steals the scene from co-star, Rockwell, with just a tilt of her hip. In Episode 4, “Glory,” Verdon herself watches the rehearsals, and comments on the striking young dancer, who was about to become one of Fosse’s most important inspirations. Qualley masters the many flicks of the wrist or body rolls in an impressive physical performance, but her portrayal of the artist goes far beyond the dance studio.
Sam Rockwell and Margaret Qualley Play Off Each Other Perfectly in ‘Fosse/Verdon’
Where Qualley’s performance really stings is with the sadness she can convey with just the bite of a lip, with her ability to show Reinking’s pain in loving an unavailable man. Shooting intense scenes with scene partner, Rockwell, she outshines him in her heartbreak and strength as she brings a quiet power to the young dancer in her maturity. One such scene features Reinking visiting Fosse in the hospital after he suffers a heart attack, and it’s the series’ rawest, most vulnerable moment for Rockwell. But, he is only able to reach that point of vulnerability, like reliving childhood traumas that explain some of the strife behind Fosse’s life, because of having a selfless scene partner like Qualley. Having almost died, Qualley appears at Rockwell’s bedside like an angel of light amidst so much darkness, and she manages to steal the scene from Rockwell with just a few lines of dialogue. Her face is an open wound of pain, and what is so striking about her performance in the scene is her gut-wrenching sympathy. Rockwell’s pain is her pain, and she is so hauntingly human against his constant facade.
In a series that is dedicated to the razzle and dazzle of showbiz, Qualley is a necessary juxtaposition to both Rockwell and Williams’ larger-than-life personas. She has a vice-like grip on her many tense scenes with Rockwell where she confronts his infidelity, and it’s more vicious than any high-kick. In her final scene during the series finale, Reinking has to audition to play the co-star in All That Jazz, a role that is based on her life and toxic affair with Fosse. During the audition, Rockwell is relentless as Fosse, and pushes Reinking to the brink of breaking.
When Qualley finally explodes, it’s like a dam bursting open after holding in years of pain. Reciting lines taken from her own life, in confronting Fosse’s infidelities, Qualley raises her voice an octave up as her eyes burst with tears, and her sweet demeanor fades away to expose the anger underneath as she screams she only wants to be with him. She so lovingly portrays the complexity of Ann Reinking during the scene, and the distressing reality of being the muse to a perfectionist. Qualley even cited Reinking as an idol of hers leading up to Fosse/Verdon, revealing to Indiewire, “Weirdly, I’m not as good of a dancer as I used to be, but somehow I’ve been able to work in some true childhood dreams.”
Margaret Qualley Is a Highlight of the Masterful and Tragic FX Miniseries ‘Fosse/Verdon’
For showbiz lovers everywhere, Fosse/Verdon is a treasure trove of pop culture icons and Broadway divas. Focusing on a niche, but important part of dance history, both Fosse and Verdon helped permanently shape the medium forever. The series unveils the heartbreaking love story between the two icons, and doesn’t go easy on them — especially Fosse. Rockwell himself is no stranger to dancing on film, and here he gets to show off as the angular, stylistic choreographer, and is both stunning and disturbing as the vice-ridden director.
Fosse/Verdon doesn’t phone it in or lose its pace during its eight episodes, and is not afraid to show the dark side of Fosse, and his at times predatory tendencies during his many affairs with his leading ladies. It’s also bold in its depiction of Verdon’s career that took a bleak turn, and Williams hones in on the tragedy of her taking a backseat to her husband’s fame. It’s a visually stunning feast, with fantastic re-creations of Fosse’s best productions, including both Cabaret and All That Jazz. During her press for Honey Don’t, Qualley visited the Criteron Closet, in which she revealed that Fosse’s All That Jazz is her favorite film of all time. So, there really was no better choice other than Qualley for Fosse’s killer moves, and her performance continues to dance under the radar of her growing filmography.
Fosse/Verdon
- Release Date
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2019 – 2018
- Directors
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Adam Bernstein, Jessica Yu
