Demi Moore On “The Substance,” Aging, the Brat Pack, Attempts to Remake “Ghost,” and More for VARIETY Magazine

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In a new cover story for VARIETY, actress Demi Moore speaks with Senior Entertainment and Media Writer Matt Donnelly about THE SUBSTANCE, Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film in which Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, an Oscar-winning actress turned TV fitness guru who is bereft after a vile network executive (Dennis Quaid) cancels her show. Moore discusses the conversations about aging that arose while filming THE SUBSTANCE, the cultural reemergence of the Brat Pack, attempts to remake GHOST, not getting the credit she deserved for G.I. JANE and more.

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On why she said yes to “The Substance”: “I felt like it was one of the most interesting ways to explore the subject. While it’s framed around women, I really felt like it was relatable to all of us as humans—the feeling of being discarded, overlooked. A lack of appreciation for who we are.”

On whether “The Substance” changed how she feels about aging: “It’s not hugely different before and after. But it gave me a greater appreciation for myself as I am. One of the biggest themes of my career is challenging preconceived ideas and limitations. I’m at a point where I’m writing my own story, as opposed to my story being dictated to me based on my age.”

On watching her old movies: “Once in a while, when the family is together, the kids will put something on, and I’ll watch a couple of seconds. But then when I do something like Andrew McCarthy’s ‘Brat Pack’ documentary that just came out, I see little pieces of my work back then, and I go, ‘Oh, hang on, I was so awful.’ Thank God I got the chance to work more.”

On why she thinks the Brat Pack has reemerged in the cultural conversation: “Things find their time. There’s a whole generation that has no clue what ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ is, but Andrew had a genuine desire to explore the effect it had on those of us who were in it. I know he’s taken a few hits here and there. People really have to put themselves in the place of 22-year-old actors—there was a lot of pressure around us for perfection and no room for failure. There was also no language for mental health back then. There’s an enormity to being in the early stages of a career and fearing being seen as unserious. None of us liked being called a brat. We all grew up with the idea of ‘brat’ being a bad thing.”

On attempts to remake “Ghost”: There are some films better left alone, but it depends on what the take is. The success of ‘Ghost’ is really about alchemy. Think about Whoopi, who anchored the comedy in a magical way. Or Tony Goldwyn, the boy next door who is the most unsuspecting villain. And the sweetness and virility of Patrick Swayze. Channing is incredibly intelligent and talented—who knows what he would bring to it if it happened.”

On not getting the credit she deserved for “G.I. Jane”: “If I really look at ‘G.I. Jane,’ there was a faction of people out to shut that movie down before it even opened. I did ‘Striptease’ and ‘G.I. Jane’ back to back. If anything in this industry has ever been stacked against me, it was having those two films come out at the same time and becoming the highest-paid actress on top of that. That moment was so powerful for me because it wasn’t just about me; it was about changing the playing field for all women. But because I was portraying a stripper, I betrayed women. And because I played a soldier, I betrayed men.”

[Photo Credit: Greg Swales for Variety Magazine]

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