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16 Jan 2025 15:48
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  •   Home > News > International

    Demi Moore's Golden Globes speech is a glittering crown on a 45-year career

    The Golden Globes is one of Hollywood's biggest parties — and like any good party, we've woken up with a hangover and plenty of time to reflect on the evening, including Demi Moore's powerful speech in her shock win for The Substance.


    The Golden Globes is one of Hollywood's biggest parties. 

    And like any good party, we've woken up with a hangover and plenty of time to reflect on the evening.

    Post-war drama The Brutalist and narco-thriller musical Emilia Pérez cemented themselves as the night's biggest winners (and major Oscar contenders).

    Japanese historical drama Shogun revelled in another awards sweep.

    Wicked fell victim to the Barbie pipeline, after nabbing four nominations and leaving only with a cinematic and box office achievement.

    Zendaya was spotted with a ring on her left hand, sparking rumours of an engagement to Tom Holland.

    And comedian Nikki Glaser seemed to win over the audience as the first solo female host in Globes history.

    But there is one moment that stood out as the most impactful of the night.

    As Demi Moore accepted her award for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy in her comeback role in gory body film The Substance, she changed the course of this year's awards season.

    Not only did her win place the 62-year-old in good stead for the Oscars, it put horror back on the map. 

    In the Oscars 95 year history, just six horror films have been nominated for Best Picture.

    Moore then proceeded to deliver a three minute note-perfect speech, reflecting on her career and touching on the core values of The Substance, beguiling fans with her confidence and inspiration. 

    What did Demi Moore say in her speech?

    A surprised Demi Moore began her acceptance speech with a statement that sent shock waves through the room.

    "I've been acting for 45 years, and this is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor. 

    "Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress, and at that time, I made that mean that this wasn’t something that I was allowed to have," Moore told the audience.

    "That I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged. And I bought in, and I believed that.

    "That corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it. Maybe I was complete," Moore continued, as a captivated crowd held onto every word.

    She says that it wasn't until the script for The Substance landed on the desk that the universe told her she "wasn't done". 

    Moore ended her speech speaking the core values of the film. 

    " … In those moments when we don't think we're smart enough, or pretty enough, or skinny enough, or are basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me, 'Just know you will never be enough but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.'"

    What is a 'popcorn actress'?

    It's the question on everyone's lips after Moore's speech: what is a popcorn actress, anyway?'

    According to Vogue, a popcorn movie is a "film measured by its entertainment value and box-office earnings more than its critical reception or contributions to filmic discourse".

    In turn, a popcorn actress is someone who "tends to star in those films". 

    Ghost, which Moore starred in alongside Patrick Swayze, was the highest-grossing film of 1990.

    She achieved further box-office success for 1992's A Few Good Men, 1993's Indecent Proposal and 1994's Disclosure.

    She then famously fought for equal pay for her role in The Striptease, which saw her walking away with a $US12 million ($19 million) pay cheque and the title of the highest paid actress in film history.

    Despite her bank-ability, Moore had no awards to show for it and only received a scatter of nominations for Ghost, If These Walls Could Talk and Bobby. 

    What's all the hype around The Substance and why does Demi's win mean so much? 

    Coralie Fargeat's ultra gory allegory for ageing and how society treats women when they dare to age has been shocking and delighting audiences since its release last September.

    The film follows Elizabeth Sparkle (Moore), a TV fitness instructor that's thrown off her show for the crime of turning 50. In order to get back on top, Elizabeth takes the titular substance which causes a younger version of herself to literally explode from her back.

    ABC film critic Michael Sun called The Substance a "fantastically nasty, proudly gaudy piece of body horror", so not only was Moore's win a milestone in her own career but it represented a breakthrough for the horror genre.

    For context the big awards ceremonies have always overlooked horror. 

    Partly due to the fact that there aren't any categories specifically for the genre which is why they tend to get lumped in with Comedy/Musical like we saw with The Substance at the Globes.

    In the Oscars 95 year history just six horror films have been nominated for Best Picture and only one has taken the trophy (Silence of the Lambs in 1991). 

    It's been 15 years since a horror film performance won the Best Actress Oscar (Natalie Portman for Black Swan).

    Moore's win and her beautiful speech has put her in excellent stead to break that 15-year dry spell for horror. 

    But it could bolster the chances for the film as a whole, which was nominated for five other awards at the Golden Globes.

    What are the Oscar odds post-Golden Globes?

    The Golden Globes are often considered a taste of what the Oscars can bring but as Vulture's Nate Jones pointed out, the recent shake up with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association means it might not be the crystal ball it has been in the past.

    Narco musical Emilia Pérez's sweep in four of its 10 nominated categories has put it in the forefront of some predictions with The Hollywood Reporter's Feinberg forecast putting it as the frontrunner for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña.

    But their sweep has also shone a spotlight on some of the criticism of the film, namely it's inelegant portrayal of Mexican culture.

    Brady Corbet's Best Director and Best Picture/Drama wins for The Brutalist have enriched his chances for a Best Picture Oscar, with Gold Derby placing the film as its number one pick.

    As peppy as team Wicked seemed while picking up their Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, their failure to pick up anything else has put a dent in their Oscar chances.

    As entertainment reporter Jared Richards put it: "Before tonight, I would have assumed Ariana Grande had best supporting on lock. Maybe voters are a little whistle-tuned out of Wicked?"

    Sean Baker's Anora was another film that had a bit of a knock coming out of the Globes, having not secured any awards out of five nominations. Despite this, Gold Derby still has odds on lead Mikey Madison taking the Best Actress Oscar.

    There are still several key awards ceremonies between now and the Oscars in March so there's still plenty of time for frontrunners to chop and change.

    ABC

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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