Margaret Qualley on the set of “Happy Gilmore 2.
Adam Sandler’s Netflix hit Happy Gilmore 2 features a massive ensemble cast, including Margaret Qualley. What else has Qualley starred in?
Released on Netflix on Friday, Happy Gilmore 2 features the return of Sandler as the hockey stick-wielding golf champ, along with the 1996 original’s co-stars Julie Bowen as Virginia Venit and Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin. In Happy Gilmore 2, Happy and Virginia are happily married with five kids until a tragedy plunges the golf champ into the depths of despair.
Swearing off the golf game because of the tragedy, Happy decides to give golf another shot after 10 years to earn enough money to support his family and send his daughter, Vienna (Sunny Sandler), to a prestigious ballet school in Paris.
When Happy first returns to the links, his first stop is at a local golf course where he reluctantly needs to team up with three other players — Sally (Qualley), Steiner (Eric André) and Fitzy (Martin Herlihy) — who aren’t aware at first who their once-great partner is.
Eric Andre, Margaret Qualley, Martin Herlihy and Adam Sandler in “Happy Gilmore 2.”
The daughter of Paul James Qualley and acclaimed actor Andie MacDowell, Sarah Margaret Qualley was born on Oct. 23, 1994, in Kalispell, Mont. Going by her middle name, Margaret Qualley made her screen debut in the 2013 coming-of-age indie drama Palo Alto opposite Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer and James Franco.
After that, Qualley played a supporting role in the 2016 action comedy The Nice Guys opposite Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and starred in the lead role in the 2017 drama Novitiate opposite Melissa Leo.
After Novitiate, Qualley appeared in six projects in 2019, including I/O, Native Son, Adam, Strange but True and Seberg, as well as the TV miniseries Fosse/Verdon in 2019. More recently, Qualley has appeared in the films Sanctuary (2022), Poor Things (2023), Drive-Away Dolls (2024) and Kinds of Kindness (2024).
Below are more film and TV credits on Qualley’s acting resume, which may explain why she looks so familiar in Happy Gilmore 2.
‘The Leftovers’ (2014-2017)
Margaret Qualley stars as Jill Garvey in the HBO supernatural mystery thriller The Leftovers, the daughter of Kevin (Justin Theroux) and Laurie Garvey (Amy Brenneman).
Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, The Leftovers follows life after 2% of the Earth’s population — about 140 million people — vanish all at once during a mysterious event. Qualley starred in 22 of the series’ 28 episodes.
Margaret Qualley in “Death Note.”
‘Death Note’ (2019)
Margaret Qualley stars as Mia Sutton opposite Nat Wolff as James Light in Death Note, a Netflix supernatural horror thriller that also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Shea Whigham and Willem Dafoe.
In Death Note, which is based on Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s manga of the same name, James discovers an ancient notebook that has the power to kill people if their name is written inside of it. Mia is James’ girlfriend, who assists her boyfriend as a fellow vigilante whose plans spiral out of control.
‘Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood’ (2019)
Margaret Qualley plays “Pussycat” in Quentin Taratino’s film opus Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood, which is semi-revisionist look at Hollywood in the 1970s.
In the film, Pussycat encounters Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a stuntman for Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Hollywood star whose career is on the downslide. Pussycat, as it turns out, is a one of Charles Manson’s followers (Damon Herriman).
Margaret Qualley and Rylea Nevaeh Whittet in “Maid.”
‘Maid’ (2021)
Margaret Qualley stars as Alex Russell in the Netflix miniseries Maid, a single mother who escapes an abusive relationship and struggles to make ends meet as a housekeeper as she seeks a new life for her and her young daughter, Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet).
Qualley earned a Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as Alex. Maid also stars Qualley’s real-life mother, Andie MacDowell, who plays Alex’s volatile mother, Paula, in the miniseries.
Margaret Qualley in “The Substance.”
‘The Substance’ (2024)
Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, the Best Picture Oscar-nominated body horror thriller written and directed by Coralie Fargeat. In the film, Sparkle, a fading Hollywood star, takes a black-market cell-replicating drug that temporarily gives her a “younger, better version of herself.”
Margaret Qualley also stars as the younger version of Elisabeth, who goes by “Sue.” However, when Elisabeth becomes obsessed with her youthful looks, she ignores the warnings about the side effects of the drug, called “The Substance,” and suffers horrific consequences as a result.
Up next for Qualley is director Ethan Coen’s crime comedy Honey Don’t, in which she stars opposite Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans. Qualley’s latest movie, Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2, is new on Netflix.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/07/29/why-does-sally-from-adam-sandlers-happy-gilmore-2-look-so-familiar/