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Demi Moore filmed 45 ‘very difficult' takes of ‘heart-wrenching’ scene in The Substance: ‘Got to a point where I…’
Demi Moore has revealed that she had to film 45 takes of a scene in The Substance, describing it as "one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the film.”
Demi Moore has revealed that she had to film 45 “very difficult” takes of a “heart-wrenching” scene in her new movie – The Substance. Moore portrays Elisabeth Sparkle in the forthcoming horror movie. In the film, Sparkle is a fading celebrity who comes across a black market drug that creates a younger version of herself temporarily.
There is one scene in the film where Moore’s character is getting ready to go on a date, and afraid of looking old, she goes back to the mirror to apply and then remove and reapply more makeup. The 61-year-old actress admitted that something “broke” inside her while filming the scene.
“It was very difficult,” Moore told Variety. “It’s one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the film.”
Moore went on to say that everyone can relate to “trying to make ourselves look better” when they actually end up “making it worse and worse.” “Coralie likes to do a lot of takes, and my face was just raw,” Moore recalled, referring to the film’s director, Coralie Fargeat. “I got to a point where I couldn’t do it anymore. And Coralie still wanted one more take.”
Moore said that this was when the makeup artist “stepped in” and said, “‘We’re done.'” She added that shooting this scene involved a “certain kind of madness.”
“There are three setups to that scene, and easily 15 takes for each,” Moore said. “Also, the idea of looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing only what’s wrong — it’s like you’re seeking to make yourself uglier, so you can look how you feel.”
‘Who says somebody can’t look a certain way or do certain things?’
Moore said that she is proud of where she is in her career at the moment, having grown older. “It’s not hugely different before and after,” she said. “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.”
Moore went on to stress that age should never limit a person’s abilities. “Who says somebody can’t look a certain way or do certain things? Your 60s is not what your 60s used to be,” she said. “There’s a part of me that’s enjoying figuring it out as I go along.”
Moore also admitted that she believes she faced “more challenges” during her career in her 40s than she does at present. “At that time, no one quite knew what to do with me,” she said. “I wasn’t 30, but I wasn’t 40 in a way that people could comfortably identify me as a mother, etc. There was no place for me.”
Moore said that she feels Hollywood now offers more roles for middle-aged women. “We see so many more interesting roles for women who are 40 to 50 — what I would call “young women,” she said. “‘The Substance’ is harsh in how it tackles the entertainment industry, its judgments and its beauty standards. But it’s also throwing this idea that a woman’s desirability ends with her fertility in Hollywood’s face.”
