Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley have received high praise for their respective performances in the exceptional new horror movie The substance (all of which they absolutely deserve), but one star of the film doesn’t get the attention he should. You never see it on screen, but actor Yann Bean is the voice that essentially represents the titular proceedings, and it’s a case of phenomenal casting in its perfect balance between seductive and sinister. It’s an essential aspect of the work, and writer-director Coralie Fargeat credits it with having had a huge impact.

When I spoke to the filmmaker last month before The substanceUpon arrival in theaters, my first question was about how to find the voice of The Substance. He explained that it wasn’t easy finding the right actor for the role, but the casting process discovered Yann Bean and took the film to a new level. Fargeat said,