April’s DDOTM is Demi Moore. Whether you’re a GI Jane fan, a Ghost lover, a Charlie’s Angels devotee, or only know Demi Moore from her most recent (and terrifying) role in The Substance, you have to give the woman credit. She has been through it in her 40-plus years of being in the public eye. In addition to being part of a power couple with Bruce Willis, she was also married to a much younger man, Ashton Kutcher, before it was normal for women to do so. And through it all, she has remained true to herself and provided a masterclass in picking yourself up when you’re down.
Those of a certain age may remember Demi’s beginnings as one of the 80’s Brat Pack, a group of young actors who made a name for themselves in teen-oriented movies. They were known for their partying ways, and Demi, in her memoir Inside Out, dishes about all the drugs she did back then. It wasn’t until she was told that she had to get clean for a movie, St. Elmo’s Fire, in which she played the impossibly cool girl Jules, that she was able to kick the habit by going to rehab.
Demi Moore was a feminist before it was cool for actresses to call themselves that. With her production company, she championed and made possible many of the movies that she starred in. By 1995, she was the world’s highest paid actress, and for good reason. She took risks in her cinematic choices that paid off and, in the process, became an iconic star.
And who could forget her ground-breaking 1991 Vanity Fair cover, where she was photographed naked at 7 months pregnant? At the time it was considered risque and unbecoming. Now, famous women do the same thing but posted on Instagram.
She wrote a NY Times best-selling memoir, Inside Out, that was published in 2019. In it, she chronicles her childhood and adolescent traumas, along with her struggles with substance abuse and mental health. Her goal was to tell her own story, outside of tabloid headlines, and to provide help for any others suffering.
Demi has earned every ounce of her success. When not winning almost every award for her performance in The Substance, she can be found at her compound in Idaho that is located right next door to her ex-husband Bruce Willis’ place. Her dog Pilaf has become an internet sensation and might have the best life of any pet around, joining Demi on red carpets around the world and accompanying her to photoshoots.
With her award-winning turn in The Substance, Demi proves yet again that life doesn’t end after divorce, or after you turn 60. Sure, there are highs and lows, but she has weathered them all and come out all the stronger for it. We love to see it.
