X-Rated Demi Moore: Actress Stuns Cannes With Extreme Nudity and Gruesome Violence in New Flick 'The Substance'

Demi Moore blew Cannes audiences away with her latest role in Coralie Fargeat’s gritty movie The Substance.

Due to its depiction of nudity and extreme violence, the A-lister, 61, shocked viewers when the flick debuted at the French film festival on Sunday, May, 19.

In the movie, Moore plays actress turned fitness show host Elisabeth Sparkle, who is replaced by a much younger star portrayed by Margaret Qualley. In one gruesome scene, the two women battle it out in a nude, bloody fight that had audiences clutching their pearls.

"I had someone who was a great partner," the G.I. Jane alum said during a press conference of working with the Maid star, 29, for the vulnerable on-screen moments. "We were obviously quite close at some moments…and naked. But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes]."

Moore claimed that making the film "pushed me out of the comfort zone," but the harsh depictions were "necessary to tell this story" in the right way. The brunette beauty went on to praise the director for handling the material in the right way.

"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," Moore explained of Fargeat. "But ultimately, it’s just about really directing your communication and mutual trust."

"I don’t know any woman that doesn’t have an eating disorder or some other thing that they do that does violence to their bodies," Fargeat said of the movie's themes.

Dennis Quaid also stars in the project as the unsavory television producer Harvey, who highlights the toxic masculinity women have to deal with in the workplace. "People say [Fargeat] hates men," the Parent Trap actor, 70, stated. "No, she hates a-------. But a------- are so fun to play."

Quaid also gushed over the Striptease actress' return to the big screen, calling her portrayal "the beginning of an incredible third act" of her illustrious career.

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The Midway alum wasn't the original choice for the villainous role, as Ray Liotta was signed onto the project before his death at age 67 in May 2022.

"It was this week, two years ago, that he passed," said Quaid. "He was such an incredible actor. I dedicate it [this role] to him."'

The Hollywood Reporter obtained the quotes from the press conference with the movie's stars and director.