Full Throttle Bikini Scene Nearly Killed Her Career

Demi Moore is considered a staple of the Hollywood industry by fans, famed for her performances in A Few Good Men, Ghost, Deconstructing Harry, and many more. However, the actress thought her career might be over following a particular scene in the 2003 dud, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. A product of its time, the scene saw the film’s villain, Madison Lee (Moore), confront one of the Angels, Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), on a beach. The scene involved the pair wearing revealing bikinis, and Moore, who was in her 40s, received a lot of criticism about her body when the film was released, which made the actress question the longevity of her career.

Moore spoke with another acclaimed actress, Michelle Yeoh, for Interview Magazine about her career. When discussing Charlie’s Angels, Moore revealed that the bikini scene caused conversations among Hollywood execs about the actress’ age, and the type of roles she was being given. While things are gradually changing for the better, Hollywood in the 00s was renowned for pigeonholing actresses into certain types of roles based on their age. Younger women played love interests, “middle-aged” women tended to play mothers and wives, and older women were often typecast as witches or grandmothers. Moore explained:

“What’s interesting is I felt [criticism] more when I hit my 40s. I had done Charlie’s Angels, and there was a lot of conversation around this scene in a bikini, and it was all very heightened, a lot of talk about how I looked. There was a moment, I have to say, where I started to wonder, is this really what I should be doing? Maybe that part of my life is complete. Not even over, but complete. Then I realized, if I’m questioning it, then I need to inject it with energy so that I know for sure.”

Demi Moore’s New Movie Explores Female Beauty Standards in Show Business

While the infamous bikini scene, and several other moments from the Charlie’s Angels franchise have now been criticized as female-objectification by male writers — the entire concept of Charlie’s Angels is now controversial — Moore’s new movie is allowing the actress to get back at the executives and audiences who body-shamed her for the 2003 movie. The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, stars Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity who takes an experimental substance to recapture her youth and prolong her career.

The Cronenberg inspired body horror/thriller co-stars Margaret Qualley as the younger version of Elisabeth, who goes by the name of Sue. The movie received rave reviews after its Cannes Film Festival premiere, and was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or award. In the Q&A following the screening, Demi Moore discussed a particularly revealing scene in the film, where Elisabeth and Sue, meeting for the first time, examine each other’s bodies. Moore described the scene as “a vulnerable experience,” but said that her trust in Qualley helped the pair get through a scene which is intentionally, and satirically judgmental. She continued:

“Going into it, it was really spelt out – the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story. I had someone who was a great partner who I felt very safe with. We obviously were quite close – naked – and we also got a lot of levity in those moments at how absurd those certain situations were. But ultimately, it’s just about really directing your communication and mutual trust.”