Demi Moore shares ‘very vulnerable experience’ of doing full frontal nudity in ‘The Substance’

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Demi Moore is basking in the critical acclaim of her performance in the film “The Substance,” while also getting real about what it took.

During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Moore, 61, discussed playing an aging actress who takes a substance to give her a “younger, better version of herself,” played in the film by Margaret Qualley, 29.

The horror comedy includes full nude scenes for Moore. She addressed how they approached that work and was joined at the press conference by costar Dennis Quaid and the film’s director, Coralie Fargeat.

“Going into it, it was really spelled out…the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story,” Moore said. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish.”

In Qualley, who wasn’t present for the press conference, Moore said she found “someone who was a great partner who I felt very safe with” and said the pair shared “a lot of levity in those moments at how absurd those certain situations were” when it came to the nude scenes.

Moore was also asked about feeling “canceled” in Hollywood because of her age.

“I don’t know if I share that perspective of feeling canceled,” she said. “My particular perception is that regardless of what is going on outside of you, the real issue is how you are relating to the issue.”

“I don’t hold myself or even the situation as a victim,” Moore added.

Quaid noted that it used to be that actresses were “put out to pasture” after the age of 40, but that no longer is the case.

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