Demi Moore Contemplated Retirement for the Last 4 Years: I Was ‘Questioning My Own Ability’ as an Actress

Demi Moore almost walked away from acting before making her Cannes debut in “The Substance.”

The iconic actress who has graced the screen since the 1980s told Entertainment Weekly that she was “questioning [her] own ability” in Hollywood for the last four years.

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“It’s not like I ever officially ‘left,’ but I understand the sentiment and appreciate it because there hasn’t been a project or a role that has come along that has been this dynamic for me to really dive into and sink my teeth into,” Moore said. “I went through a period of even questioning whether this is what I should still be doing. In the last four years or so, I felt that it was a personal question that I wanted to explore and see: ‘Was this where I should be putting my energy?’ When you plant seeds, you wait to see what grows.”

She added that she was “questioning my own ability, my own value, my own place” before leading “The Substance.” In addition to the Cannes breakout film co-starring Margaret Qualley, Moore also recently appeared in “Feud” Season 2.

Moore took a step back from acting in the mid-’90s to raise her family with her then-husband Bruce Willis. She later returned to the craft on a sort of part-time basis.

“I re-engaged and did ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle’ and a few things,” Moore said. “It’s changed, but at that time, there was a feeling like I didn’t quite know where I fit. I worked, I did some things — some good things I’m proud of, like ‘Margin Call’ [in 2011].”

And Moore can definitely relate to the subject matter of the meta film “The Substance.” It centers on an aging actress, played by Moore, who reclaims her youth (as depicted by Qualley) thanks to a serum.

“Like the film, it doesn’t matter what’s going on outside of you, it has to do with what’s going on inside of you,” Moore said. “Dealing with aging, feeling rejection, and also that external seeking of validation. There were aspects of it that I feel we’ve all had moments with. The setting gives it a heightened perspective and helps to punctuate the issues, because, as for any of us, when you’re put out there to allow yourself to be criticized, it takes on a bigger life.”

She added of her back-to-back roles with “The Substance” and series “Feud,” “However it wants to be characterized on the outside, I’m just really enjoying it all. I’m not on any other side [now] — I’m on the inside.”

Moore recently told IndieWire that the “Substance” role “felt risky” and was among her most “vulnerable” projects. As for her next film, Moore said that it will all based on the character.

“I wouldn’t want to put any locked-in thing [out there],” Moore said. “What I love is this was a rich, complex, demanding role that gave me an opportunity to really push myself outside of my comfort zone, and in the end to feel like I explored and grew not only as an actor, but as a person. And so if there’s any hope, it’s really just to kind of re-engage in a way. I feel like I took a real step back for a long time and really questioned even whether or not this is what I should be doing. This was a part of waking myself up.”

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