Demi Moore’s Golden Globe-winning flip in The Substance has redefined expectations, making waves within the 2025 awards season. The 2025 Oscar-nominated physique horror movie is full of surprising transformations, however its most unsettling second isn’t about gore—it’s about insecurity and self-doubt. The now-viral lavatory mirror scene has struck a nerve with audiences, and, throughout an interview, the G.I. Jane star defined why she embraced its uncooked depth.
It was throughout a chat with CBS Mornings that Demi Moore opened up in regards to the uncooked vulnerability required to convey a number of the more durable emotional scenes to life. As defined in a clip from the interview, which was shared to the discuss present’s official Instagram account, the veteran actress admitted that she knew from the beginning that the work wouldn’t be glamorous. The Ghost actress shared:
I knew entering into that not solely was this not going to be glamorous, however it was going to be accentuating these issues that we choose for everyone to not see. However on the finish of it, on the opposite facet, my hope, and I really feel the present in it, was that in sharing that stage of vulnerability, giving that permission, being permitting of it, was personally liberating and I hope, in some methods, has been so for others.
In the case of a number of the roles they select, actors put themselves in positions that require them to be weak. It goes with out saying that this was positively the case for the lead actress of this acclaimed horror movie. The A Few Good Males alum acknowledged how troublesome the aforementioned scene was to movie, describing the bodily and emotional toll of doing a number of takes till her face was uncooked. She continued:
As a result of I believe we’ve additionally all been there—the place you’re simply making an attempt to make one thing slightly bit higher, and it solely will get worse, to the purpose the place it’s fully defeating. And I believe one of many issues for me in that entire sequence is, the truth is, it doesn’t matter what she tries to do on the skin, it wouldn’t make it higher, as a result of the within isn’t OK.
With The Substance now out there on the streaming service Mubi, Demi Moore’s fearless efficiency continues to generate critical awards buzz. With 5 Oscar nominations—an nearly unheard-of feat for even the perfect horror motion pictures—the movie has cemented itself as a genre-defying pressure.
However past its surprising physique horror, which some critics dubbed “go till you gag,” Coralie Fargeat’s movie strikes a deeply private chord, forcing audiences to confront the identical insecurities that devour Elisabeth. And on the coronary heart of all of it is Demi Moore’s transformative efficiency, making each second of psychological torment really feel painfully sincere.
The now-iconic lavatory mirror scene is a masterclass in appearing. It completely showcases the form of emotional rawness that elevates The Substance past simply one other scary film. It’s an unsettling, deeply human second that lingers lengthy after the credit roll.
For these able to expertise the movie for themselves, The Substance is now out there to stream from the consolation of residence—simply in time for the 97th Academy Awards, airing dwell on ABC this Sunday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.