Demi Moore Describes ‘Vulnerable Experience’ Going Fully Nude in New Movie ‘The Substance’

Demi Moore bared it all for her new horror film, The Substance.

The actress, 61, opened up about filming scenes completely nude for the Coralie Fargeat–directed movie. “Going into it, it was really spelled out, the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story,” Moore explained during a Monday, May 20, press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required, I think, kind of going into it with a sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish, how we were going to approach it and, I think, finding that common ground of mutual trust.”

Moore stars as a former Hollywood starlet who takes the film’s titular drug, which results in the creation of a younger version of herself played by Margaret Qualley. The substance takes a physical toll on Moore’s character, who becomes disfigured as she continues to split her life while Qualley’s youthful character thrives.

Moore went on to praise Qualley, 29, for being “a great partner who I felt very safe with,” particularly when it came to filming the movie’s nude scenes. “We obviously were quite close in certain moments, naked, and it allowed us, also, a lot of levity in those moments at how absurd those certain situations were with us laying on the tile floor,” she added. “But ultimately, it’s just about, I think, really directing clear communication and mutual trust.”

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Moore and Qualley walked the red carpet with Fargeat, 48, and costar Dennis Quaid at The Substance’s Cannes premiere on Sunday, May 19. The film received an 11-minute standing ovation from attendees. Moore sported a bold cream gown featuring a 3D bodice for the premiere, while Qualley and Fargeat complemented her look with pale pink dresses. Quaid, 70, kept things classy in a black suit and white dress shirt.

While Moore’s character in The Substance becomes distorted throughout the film, the Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans star has continuously stunned during several recent public appearances. Earlier this year, she looked ageless posing with her daughters Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 30, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March.

She went on to rock a black bra and briefs underneath a sparkly mesh dress at the opening of the From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & Gabbana exhibition in Milan in April. Moore followed up the black ensemble by sporting a leopard-print bikini while taking a tropical vacation with her kids, whom she shares with ex-husband Bruce Willis.

Prior to attending the Gucci Cruise 2025 fashion show with her chihuahua, Pilaf, on May 13, Moore embodied a flower at the 2024 Met Gala on May 6. She donned a stunning black Harris Reed gown with a pink floral design. The dress looked like a piece of art with its protruding shoulders and black feathers.

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In addition to wearing natural glam and her hair down, Moore’s ensemble was completed with dazzling diamond and emerald jewelry pieces by Cartier.

“It was an absolute joy and honor to collaborate with such a dream team on this #MetGala look. Not one I’ll forget any time soon ??,” she captioned pics from the annual fashion event via Instagram on May 7.