Demi Moore Wins Best Female Actor
Oh wow, I really wasn’t expecting that. I’m just in shock right now. I’ve been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor. I’m just so humbled and so grateful.
[The phrase “I’m so humbled” is often used to express a feeling of gratitude and modesty in response to praise, recognition, or a special gesture. It conveys that the speaker feels honored or appreciative but also humbled, meaning they don’t feel entitled or overly proud]
30 years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a ‘popcorn actress’ (actress that might be known for roles in blockbusters, rom-coms, or action films, which are often fun but not necessarily critically deep or heavy) 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 and I bought in and I believed that. That corroded me over time, to the point where I thought that a few years ago that maybe this was it. Maybe I was complete, maybe I’d done what I was supposed to do. And as I was kind of at 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 you’re not done.
And I am so grateful for Coralie for trusting me to step in and play this woman. For Margaret for being the other half of me that I couldn’t have done without, for looking out for me, for the people who’ve been with me for over 30 years, everyone at CAA, Untitled, Lead. All of the people who’ve stood by me, especially the people who believed in me when I haven’t believed in myself.
And I’ll just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting. In those moments when we don’t think we’re smart enough, or pretty enough, or skinny enough, or successful enough or basically just not enough – I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know, you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick’. And so today I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love that is driving me and for the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong, so thank you so much.