Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle in “The Substance,” for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. (Courtesy of MUBI)

The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival screened  “The Substance” — one of the biggest movies from 2024 — at Arlington Theatre on February 9. The screening was followed by a discussion with the film’s lead actress Demi Moore, whose performance was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. 

“The Substance” tells the story of a once-famous actress Elisabeth Sparkle (played by Moore), whose only remaining work is an aerobics TV show. On her 50th birthday, producers fire Elisabeth from the show to replace her with a younger actress. Depressed by this fact, Elisabeth decides to try “The Substance,” an experimental drug that creates a “better,” younger version of herself: Sue (played by Margaret Qualley). The real challenge, however, proves to be maintaining a balance between the two versions.

Moore shares that she was impressed by the script when she read it, but also struck with its boldness. “I read the script, and I thought, wow, this is really amazing. Could be absolutely amazing, and it could be a fucking disaster,” she said. However, what ultimately persuaded her to take the role was the meaningfulness of its message. 

“I thought, wow, this is such a unique way to be delving into this subject matter. But the part that resonated the deepest was really that violence that we can have against ourselves,” Moore said. “It’s that judgment, it’s that constant compare and despair, and I felt like that was something that I hadn’t ever really seen explore[d] or deep dive[d] into.”

She describes preparing for the role as trying to find within herself the vulnerability of Elisabeth — connecting with her on a personal level. 

“My character has no friends or family. She has no backstory. We don’t know who she is,” Moore said. “For me, it was really important that she was alive in me, because the more grounded and real I could make her, the more relatable she would be.”

Though her character has minimal dialogue, Moore delivers a captivating internalized performance. The actress explains that, in order to accurately portray this character, she needed to be in dialogue with herself, saying, “The emotional aspect was left to me to have to find that in me, the deepest parts of myself and be willing to share that.”

The film features several nude scenes, but they’re not made to sexualize the character. On the contrary, they seem to highlight the vulnerability and imperfections of her body, at times enhanced with makeup for artistic effect. The actress describes the experience of shooting these scenes as “uncomfortable.” However, she highlights their importance to the story. 

“I think we have a very different experience when we’re alone with ourselves in front of the mirror. And what’s interesting about that is our tendency not to look in the mirror for what’s right, but to look for what’s wrong … Because the truth is, there is nothing that anybody could do to us that is worse than what we do to ourselves,” Moore said.

Demi Moore at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Courtesy of SBIFF)

One of the most memorable scenes of the film is when Elisabeth prepares for a date only to become increasingly dissatisfied with her appearance. Moore touched on her personal understanding of this particular scene.

“Elisabeth has this sliver of hope, the possibility of breaking out of this self-imposed prison. It’s that hopefulness that totally gets degraded by the end to absolute self-loathing and self-destruction,” she said. “And I think, you know, it was really very specifically spelled out, the beats of it. Looking in the mirror, going and getting ready, trying to fix something, trying to just make it that much better, only to make it worse.”

Moore speaks of her character as if Elisabeth were a close friend. She distances herself from Elisabeth, but speaks with deep compassion and understanding. Moore roots for her and, along with the audience, is heartbroken by the choices Elisabeth makes.

“Elisabeth is tragic. She is a tragic soul. Because for me, she represented that part that does exist in all of us — chasing everything that’s on the outside, seeking validation and love and approval only from the external, when no matter what we try to do, that answer will never come from the outside. It can only come from the inside.”

The ending of the film aroused a lot of controversy among viewers. Moore talked about her way of understanding it, saying, “I mean, it’s very interesting and strikes different people in different ways. I think there is an interesting aspect to the liberation within this kind of transformation, degradation. Of becoming on the outside, everything that is the greatest fear, but only to actually almost have a sweetness of really being seen.” For her, the film is about self-love and self-appreciation.

Moore acknowledges the significance of the film in her career and is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. “We can only be as good as the opportunities we’re given. And so I’m really grateful that I had this material come my way, that I really felt I had everything that I tend to look for, which is that it had the potential to be meaningful and memorable, that it pushed me out of my comfort zone, that not only did it give me a chance to grow as an artist, but as a person,” she said

Reflecting on her journey, Moore concluded with a poignant thought. “What I’ve come to realize is that people can’t appreciate you unless you appreciate yourself. And when you hold and value yourself for all that you are, as you are, in whatever moment that is, then the rest of the world will follow … Maybe I just wasn’t ready to hold all that I am until this moment.”