Demi Moore became the world's highest-paid actress when she earned $12.5 million for the 1996 film “Striptease,” and that's when the backlash against her began. Discussing on The New York Times' “The Interview” podcast while promoting “The Substance,” the actress recalled that people tried to insult her once she started making money that rivaled male actors.
“Well, in ‘Striptease,’ it was like I was cheating on women, and in ‘GI Jane,’ it was like I was cheating on men,” Moore said. “But I think the interesting part is that when I became the highest-paid actress — why was the choice at that moment to take me down? I don’t take it personally. I think anyone who was in a position to be the first to get that kind of equal pay probably would have been hurt. But because I did a movie that dealt with the world of nudity and the body, I felt very ashamed.”
Moore was married to megastar Bruce Willis at the time she got her “Striptease” salary, and although she didn't compare her career to his, she was aware of the salaries he was getting for his films, and thought it was perfectly fair that she got what she got for “Striptease.”
“It wasn’t about comparing myself to him. Yes, I saw the pay he was getting,” Moore said. “It was more about, ‘Why shouldn’t I? If I’m doing the same amount of work, why shouldn’t I?’ And it was no different than when I was on the cover of Vanity Fair pregnant. I didn’t understand why it was such a big deal, why do women need to hide when they’re pregnant? Why do we have to deny that we’ve had sex? That’s the fear, right, that if you show your belly, it means, oh my God, you’ve had sex.”
During the latest cover story for diverse, Moore said that getting a record-breaking salary for her role in “Stripties” was “so powerful for me because it wasn't just about me; it was about changing the game for all women. But because I was playing a stripper, I betrayed women.”
“The narrative quickly became, ‘Well, she’s only getting this much because she’s playing a dancer.’ That hit me hard. But at the same time, I realized that whoever comes out first is going to take the hit. And that goes for anyone who challenges the status quo.”
Moore's new film, “The Substance,” opens in theaters on Mubi September 20. You can listen to her full conversation on The New York Times' “The Interview” podcast here.
