Margaret Qualley

I was a dancer, growing up, and I definitely thought that was going to be my profession.

Growing up in North Carolina, my mom was always just sort of my mom to me. I never really recognized her as a famous actress. I'm always thrilled when she's cleaning out her closet. Last time, I got a pair of boots that she bought in Paris 20 years ago. I have completely worn them out.

I actually quit ballet when I was offered a job, an apprenticeship at North Carolina Dance Theater Company, run by John Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, who are my idols. Everything sort of went perfectly. I was 16, and I was about to drop out of high school and become a professional ballet dancer.

I think gender parity is a crucial part of any healthy society. It's applicable to the entire world.

The goal is to not be patted on the back for hiring a woman, because it shouldn't be an exceptional thing. It should just be commonplace that women should have equal opportunities as men.

When you're really serious about ballet, it's a job - even if you're 15 years old. You're doing it six to eight hours a day.

I was used to having a job - ballet was my job, and I felt like I needed something artistic to focus on after I quit.

I explored the arts in general; I took painting classes and sketching classes and acting classes and all sorts of different things.

I lived alone, I didn't know anybody in New York, and I was definitely a recluse. It had been, like, two weeks, and I realized I hadn't said anything. I was laying in bed, and I was like, 'Hello?' I just talked to hear my own voice. And it was such a strange feeling.

I think being in the city is the perfect way to figure out what I want to do.

I'm pretty casual. I love Free People and small vintage boutiques.

It's a normal part of the culture of ballet to go to a nutritionist in your first few weeks. They write down everything you eat and use a little roller that pinches you to measure the fat all over your body. Then, every semester, you get a letter saying either you're too thin, or you're OK, or you're overweight.