Demi Moore, who delivers a powerful performance in the satirical body horror The Substance, was honored at ELLE’s 2024 Women in Hollywood event last night in Los Angeles. At the ceremony, held in partnership with Ralph Lauren, Harry Winston, and TikTok, the veteran actress spoke about redefining herself and praised women who are breaking boundaries in the film industry. That includes her Now and Then co-stars, Rita Wilson, Rosie O’Donnell, and Melanie Griffith, who introduced her onstage.
“Now and Then was more than just a film to me; it was an adventure,” Moore said. She also joked with her cast, “Here we are, fucking 30 years later!”
Nearly three decades after the film first premiered, Moore is open to doing a sequel. “We’ve shared so much of our past and there’s still more to come. And with that thought, there must be someone out here who’s thinking, shouldn’t we do a remake or do a sequel of Now and Then? Like Now and Again? Talk to me after,” she said, with fans cheering in the audience.
Moore went on to praise her fellow honorees: “These are women, literally, who are reshaping Hollywood, who keep showing up, pushing the boundaries, challenging the norms, reimagining what’s possible at every stage of life. And, holy shit, I get to be part of that.”
The actress acknowledged that she’s had “my share of obstacles, from the highs and lows of the industry, to my personal struggles,” but she has learned that “every challenge, every moment of self-doubt is an opportunity that’s led me to discover my own value, my strength, and resilience. And I am grateful for every moment, especially the hard ones, because they have given me the chance to grow and redefine myself and continue to move forward.”
Working on The Substance brought those themes to the forefront of her life. Moore said she was “so grateful” to be able to “dive into a role that pushed, and stretched, and literally ripped me apart.”
Looking ahead, she hopes that she and other women in Hollywood can open doors even wider for future generations. “We can change not only our industry, but also how the world sees women, just by how we see ourselves, and by how we hold each other.”
Read Moore’s full interview in ELLE’s Women in Hollywood issue here.
