“I had reached a point where I felt somewhat flat, neutral in a sense,” Demi Moore explains from her Beverly Hills home during an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. The 62-year-old, with her teacup chihuahua Pilaf, discussed her career before The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, where she plays a Hollywood star resorting to drastic measures to maintain youth and beauty.
"Then," she continues, "I received a call from my agent about a unique script generating interest. He said, 'I think you should read it and see what you think.' There was sensitivity around aging, a personal topic for many. I was amazed when I read it."
She emphasizes, "It captivated me with its exploration of aging and self-directed violence, relatable on a human level. It was new territory for me — a body horror film with intriguing challenges, both physical and emotional, conveyed with minimal dialogue."
Moore, a movie star and sex symbol for 40 years, was described by the New York Times as defining the '80s and '90s through films like St. Elmo's Fire, Ghost, A Few Good Men, Striptease, and G.I. Jane. Nominated for an Emmy, a SAG Award, and two Golden Globes, her performance in The Substance is now earning her recognition as a great actress, possibly leading to her first Oscar nomination. Moore's Hollywood journey has been tumultuous.
She achieved blockbuster success but faced backlash as the first actress to earn $12.5 million for Striptease. "Anybody who's first takes a hit," she notes. Moore endured negative reviews, Razzies, her mother's death, and a divorce from Bruce Willis, leading her to step back from her career to focus on her children in Idaho. Returning five years later, she found her career landscape changed, feeling "too good for older roles, and wasn’t young enough for others." Her character in The Substance faces similar dilemmas, but Moore embraces aging, saying, “When we pursue something driven by what we’re not, we can’t celebrate all that we are.” Despite sharing Sparkle's concerns, she has learned self-acceptance. Watching montages of her work, she realized, “I was cute,” but stressed self-acceptance starts from within.
Moore’s life differs significantly from Sparkle’s. She notes, “Elizabeth Sparkle and I are very different. She lacks friends, family, and balance, basing her worth solely on the external. I resonated with what she did to herself, having experienced it in various ways. I still encounter it, but now I have tools to discern reality and understand my true value beyond the external. This understanding comes with time. I relate to the rejection and pain from seeking perfection.”