Why Demi Moore Almost Quit Acting Before Her Latest Role

While Demi Moore has been a Hollywood powerhouse for many decades now, a recent interview of hers shows her career has been filled with ups and downs. In fact, while she’s premiering her latest movie at the Cannes Film Festival, she was reportedly thinking about leaving the industry altogether before it.

In a candid interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained that while she’s both “humbled and excited” by her new movie The Substance, she definitely took a step back from acting in the past few years.

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“It’s not like I ever officially left, but I understand the sentiment and appreciate it because there hasn’t been a project or a role that has come along that has been this dynamic for me to really dive into and sink my teeth into,” she told the outlet. “I went through a period of even questioning whether this is what I should still be doing.”

“In the last four years or so, I felt that it was a personal question that I wanted to explore and see,” she continued. “Was this where I should be putting my energy? When you plant seeds, you wait to see what grows.”

Looking back at her career, it seems Moore has had these doubts at many points in her career, including before her 2003 hit Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

“I re-engaged and did Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and a few things. It’s changed, but at that time, there was a feeling like I didn’t quite know where I fit,” Moore admitted. “I worked, I did some things — some good things I’m proud of, like Margin Call.”

But, throughout it all, Moore, who recently hosted the 2024 amfAR Cannes Gala, confessed she wasn’t fully confident in herself. “[I was] questioning my own ability, my own value, my own place,” she said.

Dennis Quaid, Coralie Fargeat, Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore at the premiere for "The Substance" during the 77th Cannes Film Festival held at the Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
Dennis Quaid, Coralie Fargeat, Margaret Qualley, and Demi Moore at the premiere of The Substance during the 77th Cannes Film Festival held at the Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2024, in Cannes, France. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Luckily, a role like Elizabeth Sparkle in The Substance felt like a perfect fit. In the movie, Moore plays an actress-turned-aerobics-workout-host who goes to extreme lengths after getting fired from a TV network because she was too old, per Variety.

As it turns out, Moore could really relate to that.

“Like the film, it doesn’t matter what’s going on outside of you, it has to do with what’s going on inside of you,” Moore told the outlet. “Dealing with aging, feeling rejection, and also that external seeking of validation. There were aspects of it that I feel we’ve all had moments with.”

“The setting gives it a heightened perspective and helps to punctuate the issues, because, as for any of us, when you’re put out there to allow yourself to be criticized, it takes on a bigger life,” Moore said.

The Substance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this week, also stars Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. We can’t wait to see her in the role!

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

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