The Substance star Demi Moore reflects on a producer calling her a "popcorn actress" as she wins her first award in 45-year career at the Golden Globes: "I thought maybe this was it"

Demi Moore
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Demi Moore won her first acting award in her 45-year career at this year's Golden Globes after she took home the gong for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

She won for her performance as Elisabeth Sparkle in body horror movie The Substance, in which she plays a TV personality who's fired by a misogynistic network exec on her 50th birthday. When a mysterious new drug known as offers to make her the "best version" of herself, Elisabeth jumps at the chance to reclaim her youth and her career – but this promise proves a little too good to be true.

Moore acknowledged her own struggles in her career when she accepted her Golden Globe, including a hurtful comment that stuck with her. "Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a 'popcorn' actress and at that time, I made that mean that this wasn't something that I was allowed to have, that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn't be acknowledged," she said during her acceptance speech.

"I bought in, and I believed that, and that corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it, maybe I was complete. I've done what I was supposed to do. And as I was at kind of a low point, I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance, and the universe told me that you're not done."

Directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, the cast of The Substance also includes Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. The movie was also up for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay, and Best Director, and Qualley received a nod for Best Supporting Role.

The Substance is streaming now on MUBI. For more, check out our guide to the best upcoming horror movies on the way in 2025.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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