Margaret Qualley Admits She Felt ‘Really Lonely’ Until Jack Antonoff
Margaret Qualley landed the Fall 2025 Cosmopolitan cover this week, stripping off not just her vintage denim but years of romantic isolation to reveal why she felt “really lonely” before meeting Jack Antonoff. I’m Avery Sinclair, and yes I’m here to break down her heartfelt admissions without the usual Hollywood fluff. Another day, another star declares she’s found her perfect match. Let’s see how genuine this fairy tale gets.
Qualley, 30, doesn’t mince words. On the pages of Cosmo’s latest issue, she explains that every previous relationship left her yearning because she wasn’t with “her person.” She recalls the pattern of chasing an ideal image, admitting, “I spent so many years trying to be someone’s perfect girl, and that girl changed over and over again.” With Antonoff, however, there was no facade to maintain. “I can’t lie to Jack. I can’t be that for him – he’d see through it. So I just have to be myself.”
The actress best known for her role in “Poor Things” and HBO’s “The Leftovers” traces her love story back to the waning days of the pandemic. She was at her first real party as COVID restrictions lifted when she spotted Antonoff on a rooftop and struck up a conversation that “never stopped.” Their summer in New York City unfolded through endless walks, turning casual chats into the “biggest feeling” she’s ever experienced.
Of course, Jack got chivalrous points by uttering “I love you” first. Qualley admits she’s old-school: she “would never put herself out there first” and “never text twice” back in the dating game. Now that they’re married (2023!), she texts him like he’s her “human diary,” proof that Southern etiquette yields to marital bliss.
Another twist in Qualley’s romantic script is her confessed Adam Sandler obsession. She tells Cosmo that Sandler in “Happy Gilmore” and “Big Daddy” was her first Hollywood crush, so discovering Antonoff’s similar aura was practically fate. When asked about her blueprint for healthy love, she describes it as having “always a ground below you,” a safety net that lets you fall without shattering. She purposely chooses roles that explore that balanced connection, aiming for stories she’ll one day share with her kids.
Qualley’s interview also honors her lineage. Her mother, Andie MacDowell, rocked a September 1982 Cosmo cover that Qualley labels “iconic.” Despite growing up in a household of high-profile models, including her father Paul J. Qualley, she struck out on her own at 16. A summer program at American Ballet Theatre convinced her she wasn’t destined for perfection on stage. Pivoting to modeling paid the rent and eventually led her to acting gigs in “Palo Alto” (2013) and then “The Leftovers” (2014), where she finally made her mark.
Qualley’s confession-packed cover story reads like a master class in Hollywood self-discovery that somehow ends in marital harmony. And that’s today’s dose of reality. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Cosmopolitan, New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
