Qualley and Pierre Discuss Themes of 'Love of Your Life'

Margaret Qualley and Aaron Pierre, stars of the new Amazon Prime Video film Love of Your Life, recently discussed the non-traditional romantic drama, its themes of self-love, and the challenges of portraying characters navigating loss.

Directed by Rachel Morrison and written by Julia Cox, the film follows Maya (Qualley), a nurse whose life is upended, and Felix (Pierre), the person she meets as she attempts to start over. While the romance between Maya and Felix is central, the actors emphasized that the film's core message centers on resilience and self-acceptance.

"The heavy emphasis of the film is falling forwards, and getting it wrong to get it right," Pierre told Decider. "That’s exactly what we want people to feel, like—'Ah, man, I want them to get back [together].' But at the same time, accepting that that’s the point of the conversation we’re trying to propose—which is, again, falling forwards, to get it right."

Qualley echoed this sentiment, adding, "I kind of love that the love of the movie is self-love, or a radical acceptance of your life."

The film's portrayal of a nurse working during the COVID-19 pandemic resonated deeply with Qualley. "I was really blown away when I got to talk to people who were working in that position," she said. "Having not only someone’s physical well-being in your hands, but their mental, spiritual well-being—because [the COVID patients] didn’t have their family there, they didn’t have their friends there... They had to take care of their patients in a really, really big way, and then also had to take care of each other. So I was really moved, and impressed, and touched, by that whole community."

Pierre highlighted a specific line from his character, Felix, to Maya: "This was real, and if you need, I can call you and tell you that this was real." He explained its significance within the film's thematic framework. "He’s like, 'Listen, we tried, didn’t work out. It’s okay. But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t real. It doesn’t mean that everything in those moments weren’t super-duper real. Even though that moment in time has ended, me moving forwards in my life, and you moving forwards in your life, I can still carry those as real moments that I’ve had.'"

Qualley also spoke about her experience working with Catherine Keener, who appears in a pivotal scene with her character. "I love Catherine. She’s just so grounded, honest and authentic in this way. I feel like she knows no other way. There is not any bullshitting in her. I’m really impressed by her, and I’m really grateful that I got to work with her and get to know her."

Despite the film's emotional weight, neither Qualley nor Pierre could bring themselves to cry while watching the final cut, attributing it to their critical distance as performers. "It’s me, so I’m looking with a much more critical eye," Qualley explained.

Qualley, known for her roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Substance, and the upcoming Possession remake, and Pierre, who gained recognition for his role in Netflix's Rebel Ridge and is set to appear in the new Star Wars film, noted that Love of Your Life offered them a different kind of acting challenge. Pierre remained tight-lipped about his role in the upcoming Star Wars project, stating only that it was an "amazing experience" working with director Shawn Levy.

Love of Your Life is now available for streaming on Prime Video.