Love it or hate it, The Substance has become one of the most talked-about films of the year.
The body horror comedy (it is funny, after all) has been all the talk of social media since it was released this fall — and Demi Moore’s performance as Elisabeth Sparkle has garnered some serious awards buzz, too.
And for good reason: Demi’s performance in the film is extreme. She pushes it to the limit, and that includes a nude scene that takes place in the film’s first third.
In a recent interview with Elle, Demi got real about how the nude scene was filmed, including the low-angle shot of her backside that is included in the sequence itself.
“It’s like, ugh. It bugs the shit out of me,” she commented, before specifying that she didn’t ask for any adjustments to the shot because “I knew it was in service of something that was more important than me.”
“It felt like any hardship, any exposure of my own insecurities, would be worth it if I was part of bringing forward the conversation.”
Demi also elaborated on her reasons for pursuing the role to the limit that she did — and why the vulnerabilities of doing so were more freeing in the process as well.
“There was an incredibly liberating aspect to stepping into this really vulnerable, exposed place emotionally and physically,” she explained.
“The film gave me the opportunity to look at where my ego was kind of running the show, where I was giving up my power, and it pushed me to find a little bit more gentility and acceptance of myself as I am.”
Demi has obviously had an incredible career thus far — so if you’ve got a favorite performance of hers that you feel hasn’t gotten enough love, make yourself heard in the comments!
