Demi Moore Felt 'Neutral' About Her Career Before “The Substance”: 'I Didn't Quite Know Where I Fit'

For Demi Moore, life is imitating art.

When Moore, 62, appeared on the Monday, Dec. 2 episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast to discuss her acclaimed horror film The Substance, the star admitted that she went through a phase where she doubted her career's longevity prior to hearing about Coralie Fargeat's horror-satire, in which Moore portrays a successful actress who attempts to reverse her aging process.

"In a certain way, I think I had almost hit that point that was a little bit — I don’t want to say defeated, because I wasn’t defeated, and I wasn’t even hopeless, but I was just kind of flat, neutral in a way," she said, elsewhere adding, “I didn’t quite know where I fit or where I belonged. I really did hit a point where I started to wonder, not like, ‘Is this over?’ But, ‘Is this actually complete? Have I done what I was supposed to do in this?' ”

When Moore's character Elisabeth Sparkle begins taking the titular experimental, black-market drug, her body quite literally splits open and brings forth a younger version of herself portrayed by Margaret Qualley, 30. While speaking with THR, Moore said her agent "was perhaps a little couching out of the sensitivity of dealing with aging" when he suggested she read The Substance's script.

"Everybody is different in their relationship to that and their own sensitivity to it; somebody might feel it hits too close to home," she added. "I was quite blown away when I read this."

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Moore and Qualley's characters are offered a chance at reviving a Hollywood career by way of living one week at a time in each body. While the two share a mind, conflict develops as Qualley's younger character Sue pushes the boundaries of living life outside of Elisabeth's body and the elder version grows increasingly frustrated at her counterpart's success.

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"It really captivated me, the way in which it was exploring this subject of aging and, in particular, that violence that we can have against ourselves, the way in which we all — men and women alike — can dissect and criticize our own reflection," Moore said of the film's themes. "It just felt so relatable, on a human level."

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"The other part of it was new territory for me — it's not a world I knew, couldn't have even listed another body horror film," she added on the podcast. "It was again, one that I thought if we connected enough that it would be worth a roll of the dice because it was complex and nuanced."

The Substance remains in the conversation as awards season begins; the movie was among five films nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards' best feature award, and Moore received a nomination in the best lead performance category.

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