Demi Moore has reflected on her past struggles with body image, her journey toward self-acceptance, and the challenges of her latest role in The Substance, a body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat. The actress discussed her experiences in Hollywood, revealing the pressures she faced and how they shaped her views on beauty and self-worth, in an interview with Elle.
Hollywood pressures and internal struggles
Moore opened up about the torment she endured as a young actress, describing how industry expectations led to extreme behaviors. “The perfect example is when I was told to lose weight multiple times. The producer pulled me aside. It was very embarrassing and humiliating,” Moore said. She revealed how these experiences pushed her to internalize harsh criticisms. “I placed almost all the value of who I was on my body being a certain way—that’s on me.”
A challenging role in The Substance
In The Substance, Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an actress-turned-fitness-instructor grappling with ageism and her own insecurities. The role required purposefully unflattering lighting, which Moore embraced as an opportunity for growth. One scene features a low-angle, brightly lit close-up of Moore’s bare butt, which she admitted was hard to watch. “It’s like, ugh, it bugs the shit out of me,” she confessed. Despite her discomfort, Moore chose not to ask for the shot to be edited differently. “I knew it was in service of something that was more important than me,” she explained. “It felt like any hardship, any exposure of my own insecurities, would be worth it if I was part of bringing forward the conversation.”
Learning to appreciate herself
Moore revealed that her experiences in the film pushed her to reflect on her ego and self-acceptance. “The film gave me the opportunity to look at where my ego was kind of running the show, where I was giving up my power, and it pushed me to find a little bit more gentility and acceptance of myself as I am,” she said.
She also shared a moment of wisdom from her middle daughter, Scout, who once said, “I want to quit wasting time focusing on all that I’m not, when I could be celebrating all that I am.” Moore called this sentiment transformative, saying, “While we’re so focused on what we’re not, we miss out on the beauty of all that we are.”
Moore emphasized that her appreciation for her body has shifted with age. “The thing is, I do have love for my body, but it’s more about appreciation—I can really appreciate all that my body does for me now, not just how it looks,” she explained. “The more I appreciate the lines in the corner of my eyes—the more I can find beauty in the life that I’ve lived—the more my life has beauty.”
Finding peace through transformative roles
Throughout her career, Moore has taken on roles that challenged societal norms and her own perceptions of herself. Reflecting on her iconic performance in G.I. Jane, she recalled, “I changed my body multiple times through different roles, and I think I chose those roles, whether it was conscious or not, for the very opportunity to find some peace and self-love.”
Ultimately, Moore said, this peace came only by letting go of external expectations. “When I did find that, it was only by really surrendering and letting go of what the outside was going to look like,” she explained.
A message of inner strength
Moore’s interview serves as a powerful reminder that self-worth is not defined by external standards. “Too often, we’re looking at the better us as somewhere outside of us,” she reflected. “The truth is, all of the answers, all of the resources, everything is within us.”
