Traumatized Demi Moore Reveals Horror Over How 'Violent and Brutal' Humans can be on Themselves Years After Her Rape Nightmare Aged 15
Demi Moore had opened up about her self-destructive tendencies after being sexually abused by a family friend when she was 15.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Moore was trepidatious about confronting her past of self-harm, public scrutiny about her appearance and trauma in preparation for her upcoming film.
Moore, 61, recounted being raped as an underage teen by a man who asked her afterward how it felt "to be w----- by your mother for $500".
She left home at 16, married at 17, and made her first film at 19. She told of her issues with alcohol and cocaine, which she had for breakfast - "I nearly burned a hole through my nostrils" - and which was supplied by, among others, her dentist.
The actress got clean in 1984, but suffered from eating issues caused by film executives telling her she needed to lose weight.
Reflecting on her initial reaction upon reading the script for The Substance, Moore stated: "I thought, 'OK, this could either be really amazing or an absolute disaster.'"
The Ghost actress admitted, while engaging in body horror was unfamiliar territory, it was essential to consider the psychological depths of such experiences.
According to the Guardian, with the direction of Coralie Fargeat, Moore underwent a significant artistic transformation for the new film.
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She said the film's premise of a woman grappling with societal rejection and self-image struck a personal chord.
"The harsh violence against oneself", she added, contrasts with traditional horror, suggesting that "body horror seems to amplify" the exploration of inner dialogue and personal pain.
Moore explained: "What I did to myself. What I made it mean about me. Really looking at that violence, how violent we can be towards ourselves, how just brutal."
The beloved actress said her comments are also 100% relatable to men.
Moore said: "Self-judgment, chasing perfection, trying to rid ourselves of 'flaws', also feeling rejected and despair, none of this is exclusive to women."
She referenced a scene where her character, Elizabeth, is asked on a date but keeps finding fault with herself whenever she looks at herself in the mirror.
"We've all had moments where you go back and you're trying to fix something, and you're just making it worse to the point where you're incapacitated. We're seeing these small things nobody else is looking at, but we're so hyper-focused on all that we're not", she explained. "All of us, if we start to think our value is only with how we look, then ultimately we're going to be crushed."
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