Demi Moore reflects on her role in the film Striptease. Striptease is a 1996 dark comedy based on the Carl Hiaasen novel about a woman who is a stripper and a single mother who winds up in a dangerous situation once a congressional representative takes a liking to her. Directed by Andrew Bergman, Striptease starred Demi Moore as Erin Grant, with a supporting cast that included Burt Reynolds, Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, and Robert Patrick.
Speaking with Variety, Moore expresses her thoughts on her role in Striptease. The actor noted that “one of the biggest misconceptions about [her] is that [she] loved [her] body.” Instead of taking on projects overtly to show off her body or be sexual, she took on projects “that provoke meaningful thought.” She felt that Striptease was one such project, challenging audiences to look beyond simply condemning Erin’s work as a dancer. She also drew comparisons with other films such as Disclosure that portrayed “women as the aggressor.” Check out the full quote from Moore below:
One of the biggest misconceptions about me is that I loved my body. The reality is, so much of it was me calling in certain projects that would give me an opportunity to help me overcome insecurities about my body. It was the same with the Vanity Fair covers; it was not that I loved it — it was about trying to free myself from the space of enslavement that I had put myself in.
The other truth is, things that are provocative — not in a sexual way, but things that provoke meaningful thought — have always fascinated me. Take “Striptease”: There was an interesting kind of judgment placed on a woman who worked as a dancer, but the idea was that this was a woman trying to take care of her child in the best way she could. With “G.I. Jane,” I thought, “If a woman is skilled enough and has the desire to [serve], why wouldn’t we want her there?” I didn’t understand why that door was closed. Many of my films had similar themes. “Indecent Proposal” and “Disclosure” are similar in a sense. We’d never seen a woman as the aggressor, as the abuser.
Demi Moore Is About To Have Another Controversial Film
Demi Moore Is Set To Star in The Substance
As the Variety interviewer makes reference to, Striptease is far from the only controversial entry in Moore’s filmography. Moore has previously been on the cover of numerous Vanity Fair magazines, showing off her body and often receiving backlash. From Moore’s most recent interview quote, it seems that the choices that led to these controversies related to her own proclivity for the provocative. In trying to disrupt conventional ideas of women and their role in society, the actor faced some backlash along the way.
Even now, Moore is still not shying away from the provocative when it comes to her career choices. Later this month, Moore is set to play Elisabeth Sparkle in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film The Substance. The Substance follows Elisabeth as she is offered a black-market serum that can make her appear temporarily young. The story is set to tackle beauty standards head-on, revealing the consequences of chasing youthful beauty. The Substance received good reviews from Cannes, but its themes were seen as controversial by some.
Starring in The Substance is an interesting career move for Moore. Given her history with films like Striptease, the actor made a name for herself as the very youthful, beautiful person that her character desires in The Substance. She was a sexualized character in Striptease; now, in The Substance, her character longs for nothing more than such attention. This character contrasts with Erin from Striptease, showing growth in Moore’s carer, even if she still has a similar taste for provocative roles.
Source: Variety
