Golden Globe-winning comeback queen Demi Moore ‘has always been here’, says The Substance director

LOS ANGELES – Demi Moore’s Golden Globe Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy win for The Substance has, almost overnight, transformed the 1990s megastar into a seemingly unlikely favourite for the Oscars.

In her acceptance speech on Jan 5, the 62-year-old – who once generated headlines as much for her love life and naked Vanity Fair covers as for her hit films – said she had long been dismissed as a “popcorn actress” and had never “won anything as an actor”.

But for Coralie Fargeat, the French director who also wrote Moore’s blood-drenched body horror film, there is nothing surprising about the late-career reappraisal her leading lady is enjoying.

“It was so moving to see Demi on that stage,” Fargeat, 48, told AFP the morning after Moore’s big win.

The movie allowed audiences “to see who she is as an actress, and not project any more the stereotype that if you’re beautiful, you can’t be a good actress”.

“It is being called a comeback. But she has always been here,” Fargeat added.

Society’s obsession with pigeonholing and pinning expiration dates on women is the core premise of The Substance, which opened in Singapore cinemas in September 2024.

In the film, Moore’s character Elisabeth is a fading movie star who is abruptly fired from her hit TV fitness show when she turns 50.

Out of desperation, she injects herself with a mysterious serum which allows her to live in a younger version of her body – as long as she returns to her older form every week.

Inevitably, the allure of remaining young proves too strong, especially after Elisabeth’s stunningly youthful alter ego (Margaret Qualley) is catapulted to fame by creepy male executives.

Fargeat had long been a fan of Moore’s acting work, which included hits such as Indecent Proposal (1993) and Ghost (1990), as well as more divisive fare like G.I. Jane (1997).

“I could like or not like the movies, but I think she always delivered pretty great performances,” said the film-maker.

But Moore’s real-life career also incarnated “this iconic star” represented by her character in The Substance.

“Someone who has been totally valued for this dream, this fake promise that if you’re young and beautiful, you’re going to be happy and successful,” said Fargeat. “And when this goes away, it’s like all your life is going away.”

Even so, Moore’s pitch-perfect casting as Elisabeth nearly did not happen.

Fargeat at first assumed Moore – who has three daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, with her former husband, Hollywood actor Bruce Willis, 69 – would not be interested in a role requiring extensive nudity and countless grotesque scenes of gore and decay.

But the director picked up a copy of Moore’s 2019 memoir Inside Out, which laid bare the mother of three’s battles with ageism and misogyny, as well as addiction, abuse and very public divorces – including her last one with American actor Ashton Kutcher, 46.

“When I read her book, I really saw that she was ready to take the level of risk that the movie requested,” said Fargeat.

Early conversations included the significant amount of unflinching and often unflattering nudity required by Fargeat’s vision.

“The film is really about women’s bodies. I wanted to tell my stories (in) the flesh,” she recalled, also admitting she was a demanding and meticulous director on set, requiring “a lot of takes”.

Moore has spoken about losing 9kg and contracting shingles due to the intense strain of filming, while co-star Qualley described being in the movie’s prosthetic suits as “torture” that triggered panic attacks.

“If the lead performance isn’t ready to go that far, the whole movie falls apart,” said Fargeat.

Moore “took the risk to follow the vision of the movie... that’s very, very brave and courageous”, she said.

With the Globes win, more attention will come to The Substance – both from wider audiences and Oscars voters, who are picking their final nominees on ballots due this week.

Fargeat herself could earn nods for best director and best original screenplay, and The Substance is tipped by many pundits to make the best picture list.

But few would now bet against Moore for best actress.

“From the beginning, I believed that this can happen,” said Fargeat. “That’s what cinema is about – creating things that people are not expecting. I’m just immensely proud to have created this part.” AFP