Demi Moore reflected on a defining moment in her career in a recent interview with The New York Times, in which she discussed her role in Striptease (1996) and the record-breaking $12.5 million she earned at the time. While the paycheck made her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, she now describes the experience as a “poisoned chalice” that marked the beginning of a difficult period in her career. Despite the historic paycheck, the film was a critical and commercial failure, leaving a lasting impact on her image in Hollywood.
Demi Moore opens up about her role in Striptease
In a recent interview with the New York TimesDemi Moore looked back on a turning point in her career that marked the history of Hollywood, but also her own perception of fame. In 1996, the actress earned a record fee of $12.5 million for her role in the film Stripteasedirected by Andrew Bergman. This astronomical sum made her the highest paid actress of the timea symbol of progress for equal pay in Hollywood, but also, in his own words, a “poisoned chalice.”
Striptease tells the story of Erin Grant, a single mother who becomes a stripper in an attempt to regain custody of her daughter. The film, presented as a mix of drama and dark comedy, relies on the performance of Demi Moore, who does not hesitate to appear topless in some scenes. However, the film was not the success that was hoped for.
Despite a highly publicized release, Striptease grossed just $113 million at the worldwide box office, a disappointing number compared to the producers’ expectations. Critics, meanwhile, were particularly severedescribing the film as an artistic failure, criticizing both the screenplay and Moore’s performance. The film won six Razzie Awards the year it was released, making it the worst film of 1996. This dual financial and critical setback had a lasting impact on Moore’s career.
A poisoned salary?
If Demi Moore’s $12.5 million salary for Striptease was a step forward for equal pay in the industry, the actress says it was also the starting point fora series of professional setbacksShe discusses how her salary, which has become a media topic in its own right, has eclipsed the value of her work and transformed her public image.
In the New York Times interview, she admitted to feeling a sense of shame at the magnitude of the criticism: “It felt like I had failed women,” she said. The film addressed issues related to the female body and sexuality, but the negative reception led some to see her as a symbol of everything that was wrong with the representation of women on screen at the time. This focus on her fee, rather than on her performance or the content of the film, contributed to her career’s subsequent fragility.
An inevitable comparison with Bruce Willis
At the time, Demi Moore was married to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Bruce Willis, who also earned colossal salaries, such as the $15 million he received for A day in hell (1995). Moore stresses, however, that his intention was not to compete with him, but simply to demand a fair wage. For her, the problem lay in the public and media perception of how a woman could earn such an amount.
She draws a parallel with the famous Vanity Fair cover on which she appeared pregnant: “I didn’t understand why it was so serious, why pregnant women had to hide?” she says, noting that her career has often been influenced by issues of social perception and gender equality.
A lasting impact on his career
After StripteaseDemi Moore has struggled to find roles as emblematic as those which marked the beginning of the 1990s, a period during which she had a string of successes (Ghost, Men of honor, Indecent Proposal). Although his stamp for Striptease remains a milestone in Hollywood history, the film itself did not have the desired effect on his career. His participation in On equal terms (1997), another controversial project, only made matters worse.
Despite these setbacks, Demi Moore has remained active in the industry, and her comeback with recent projects like The Substance (winner of the screenplay prize at the last Cannes Film Festival) marks a new phase in his career.
