‘The Substance’ (2024), directed by Coralie Fargeat, is a horror film in which Demi Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a former fitness icon and actress who rose to fame during the 1980s and 1990s. Nearing fifty, Sparkle is dismissed from her daytime television workout program, with executives planning to replace her with a younger model. Distraught by the collapse of her career and distracted by the removal of her own billboard, she is involved in a car accident. During her recovery in the hospital, she is secretly introduced to a product called “The Substance,” a drug said to restore a person to their younger and better self.
Instead of improving Sparkle’s body, the drug produces a separate being named Sue, played by Margaret Qualley, who emerges from Sparkle’s back. Sue takes over Sparkle’s television show and begins to live a hedonistic lifestyle, while Sparkle descends into depression. The two characters are biologically and mentally linked, required to exchange bodies every seven days in order to maintain their survival. The inactive body must be kept alive through intravenous feeding, while Sue must also inject herself with an activating fluid to avoid degradation. Over time, their connection turns into open rivalry rather than cooperation. Violence erupts between them, culminating in Sue’s attempt to take more of the substance to preserve herself. This leads to her mutation into a hybrid monster, known as “Elizasue,” whose deterioration ultimately ends in death and destruction.
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The transformation demanded one of the most extreme physical and emotional performances of Moore’s career. She described the role as an experience that required her to reveal both her body and her inner vulnerability, confronting themes of self-hatred and the pressure of ageism and beauty standards. Certain scenes were especially demanding, including one in which Elizabeth becomes so distressed while preparing for a date that she furiously wipes away her makeup until she scratches her own skin. The scene required fifteen takes and was considered one of the most emotionally difficult moments in the production.
To create Sparkle’s physical decline, Moore spent between six and nine and a half hours in the makeup chair on typical filming days. Fourteen separate prosthetic pieces were applied to her face, and additional prosthetics were used on her legs, back, and upper body. Many of these pieces were designed to be waterproof for scenes filmed underwater. Removing the prosthetics was itself a two-hour process.
Special effects artist Pierre-Olivier Persin and his team oversaw the design of the transformations. They developed three distinct stages of Elizabeth’s physical breakdown. The first, referred to as “Requiem,” was inspired by Ellen Burstyn’s character in Requiem for a Dream. The second, described as resembling Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, depicted Sparkle’s balding and frail stage. The final form was simply called “Monster,” representing the complete collapse of her body. Moore portrayed the first two phases, while Qualley performed the final monstrous incarnation of Elizasue.
The silicone prosthetic suit created for Moore was designed to move as naturally as possible. Large parts of it were glued directly to her body, and hollow cavities were built into areas such as the chest and hips so that movement appeared lifelike, even down to the swaying of the body as she walked. According to the makeup team, Moore showed extraordinary patience and discipline during the process, remaining still for hours while every detail was examined and adjusted.
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The collaboration between Moore and the special effects team allowed for a depiction of Sparkle’s decline that combined physical realism with emotional intensity. From discolored fingers to the final grotesque mutation, each stage of her transformation was crafted with attention to detail. The performance highlighted themes of self-destruction, aging, and the extremes of physical transformation in pursuit of beauty and relevance.
Although Moore expressed pride in the project and respect for the dedication it required, she also acknowledged the extreme difficulty of the role. While she was glad to have had the experience, she admitted that she might hesitate before committing to a similarly intense physical transformation in the future.
