A year ago,Demi Moorerepresented a bygone era of the 1990s. A prominent star andpop culture icon famous forGhostandIndecent Proposal, Moore’s film career had been relatively dormant until she returned in blazing glory inCoralie Fargeat’s body-horror black comedy,The Substance. Her performance as an aging celebrity icon who takes the titular substance to birth a younger, “sexier” version of herself earned her a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Moore’s previous Golden Globe nominations includeGhostandIf These Walls Could Talkfrom the 1990s.
Mounting this later comeback is a gonzo, fearless performance by Moore that bitingly reflects on her career and the perils of female stardom. Her work in the film evokes her daring streak as an actor throughout the ’90s, which peaked in 1996 withStriptease. The film, about an FBI secretary-turned-exotic dancer, caught Moore on a hot streak,but its critical panning led to her gradually waning public image.Beyond its importance in Moore’s career,Stripteasewill live in history due to its star breaking the glass ceiling for female salaries.
‘Striptease’ Was a Daring Exploration of Sexuality That Flopped With Critics
Demi Moore, apotential Oscar player this year forThe Substancefollowing her Golden Globe win, has been a trailblazing public figure on and off the screen. With the combination of her cinematic hits likeGhost,A Few Good Men, andDisclosure, and her controversialVanity Faircover, Moore was a constantly buzzy celebrity in Hollywood. Still a devout social activist today,she is bold in her advocacy for women’s rights and equality across all fronts.In film, Moore’s activism left a seismic mark during salary negotiations forStriptease, directed byAndrew Bergmanand based on the novel byCarl Hiaasen. The film follows Erin Grant (Moore), a Florida FBI secretary who loses her job and custody of her seven-year-old daughter, Angela (Moore’s daughterRumer Willis). To obtain the necessary funds to appeal the decision in court, she turns to professional stripping and gets caught up in corrupt politics involving her husband Darrell (Robert Patrick) and shady Congress official David Dilbeck (Burt Reynolds).
Stripteaseis a product of the boom of erotic thrillers and other sexploitation movies of the ’90s, particularlyBasic Instinct. Because of their salacious, low-brow material, many viewers never wanted to admit that they liked this niche genre of films, but the box office numbers would indicate otherwise. WithStriptease, along withShowgirls, Hollywood seemed to have crossed the line, as the film became a quick punch-line from respected critics likeGene Siskel and Roger Ebertto the Golden Raspberries, an institution prone to dump on sex symbols. Moore, derided for her dour and self-serious performance, was quickly on the downswing followingStriptease, but at least she got her money’s worth making this notorious folly.G.I. Jane, Moore’s follow-up star vehicle, directed byRidley Scott,disappointed at the box office, but theactor was proud of the film, citing it as “thoughtful.” However, because her role, a woman undergoing rigorous Navy SEALs training, subverted gender dynamics, she believes the film alienated male audiences.
Demi Moore’s $12 Million Salary in ‘Striptease’ Unfairly Led to Her Decline as a Movie Star
Drawing as much notoriety asStripteaseitself was Demi Moore’s salary, as she was paid a then-unprecedented $12.5 million, making her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. Reflecting on the media frenzy surrounding her salarywithThe New York Times, Moore believes that threatening the status quo of the pay gap between men and women was responsible for causing a stir. “Because I did a film that was dealing with the world of stripping and the body, I was extremely shamed,” she stated. During this time, there was a rejection offemale sexual empowerment, as seen withSharon StoneofBasic Instinctfame and a popular sex symbol on screen, who also received a similar level of vitriol.
‘Landman’ Is Completely Wasting Demi Moore
Why cast a talented actress like Moore if you’re barely going to use her?
In aVarietycover story, Moore recognized that the impact of her record-breaking salary onStripteasestretched far beyond her bank account. “It wasn’t just about me; it was about changing the playing field for all women,” the actor said, who felt overwhelming animosity from the public for using her cachet to portray a stripper. “The narrative quickly became, ‘Well, she’s only getting paid that number because she’s playing a stripper.‘It hit me really hard,” she continued. Moore, at the time married to another major movie star,Bruce Willis, didn’t necessarily measure her own stature to her husband’s, but she felt equal pay was simply a practical request.
Demi Moore’s complicated history with Hollywood and celebrity culture was the backbone to her spellbindingperformance as Elisabeth Sparkle inThe Substance, an aging star whose glamor has worn off as the world has cruelly disregarded her. Moore channeled the alienation and sheer ridiculousness prevailing throughout the industry in her performance, which serves as a cautionary tale and tragedy. Despite the drastic creative shortcomings ofStriptease, thehoopla surrounding Moore’s salary was a PR nightmare upon release,but it has since raised awareness of the gender pay gap, as modern stars likeJennifer Lawrencehave beenvocal about this discrimination.Recent studiesstill indicate that a gender pay gap is still prominent, but we can at least be lucky that the reception that Moore dealt with in 1996 was slightly lessened in toxicity.
Stripteaseis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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Striptease
