Demi Moore’s The Substance is getting more attention with each passing day. In 2002, after taking a break to focus on her family, she returned to the big screen with Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, playing the role of a fierce antagonist opposite Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu.
The movie was her first in four years, but it became one of the most legendary moments of her career. Now, over two decades later, the same trio of Charlie’s Angels stars has reunited to celebrate Moore’s latest achievement: her performance in The Substance.
Demi Moore’s ‘The Substance’ is an award-winning triumph
A Charlie’s Angels reunion. Demi Moore sits down with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu to discuss THE SUBSTANCE 😇
Watch now → https://t.co/lZdi8hzh8n pic.twitter.com/67dpMDXMQ8
— The Substance (@TryTheSubstance) January 28, 2025
In The Substance, Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, a once-revered actress who finds herself discarded by the very industry that once adored her. Desperate to reclaim her youth, she turns to an underground experiment that allows her to split her body in two: her older self and a younger version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley.
The movie gives a brutal, unflinching look at the pressures placed on women in Hollywood, the obsession with youth, and the cost of trying to hold on to something that was never meant to last forever. For her loved ones, especially former co-stars, the role was just relatable. Barrymore expressed her concern about the unrealistic standards of beauty and how hard it is to meet them. Lucy Liu called Moore’s performance one of the rawest things she had ever seen, pointing to a scene in which Moore’s character wipes away layers of makeup, revealing the exhaustion and sadness underneath.
Demi Moore’s inspiration for ‘The Substance’
For Demi Moore, The Substance is not just a movie, rather it is a reflection of her own journey in an industry that has often been cruel to women over 40. She revealed her constant struggle to be “taken seriously” when she was younger and “to be seen” when she is now older.
Cameron Diaz, who has also stepped away from acting in recent years and made a recent return to silver lining, called The Substance a direct challenge to everything Hollywood has conditioned women to believe. With The Substance, Demi Moore is making sure she will never be forgotten again.