Demi Moore Talked About Her Changing Relationship With Her Body & Her Daughter’s Major Wake-up Call

Without giving too much away, Demi Moore‘s new movie The Substance is all about how older women aren’t celebrated in Hollywood, and how studio execs are always looking for younger and hotter stars. For Moore’s character Elisabeth Sparkle, that realization comes at a hefty price. For Moore, having to come to terms with that reality has been years in the making.

In a new interview with Moore for Elle, the actress got candid about how her relationship with her body has changed over the years. “I changed my body multiple times through different roles, and I think I chose those roles, whether it was conscious or not, for the very opportunity to find some peace and self-love,” Moore admitted. Among the body-altering roles were, G.I. Jane, Indecent Proposal, Striptease, and many others.

“And when I did find that, it was only by really surrendering and letting go of what the outside was going to look like,” Moore continued.

As a result, her relationship with her body was always rocky. “There is a lot of torment I put myself through when I was younger,” she admitted.

She then remembered the moment when a producer pulled her aside and asked her to “lose weight multiple times.” “It was very embarrassing and humiliating,” she said. “But that’s just one thing. How I internalized it and how it moved me to a place of such torture and harshness against myself, of real extreme behaviors, and that I placed almost all the value of who I was on my body being a certain way—that’s on me.”

“Too often, we’re looking at the better us as somewhere outside of us,” Moore reflected to the outlet. “And the truth is, all of the answers, all of the resources, everything is within us.”

Moore then shared that her middle daughter Scout Willis, whom she shares with ex-husband Bruce Willis, once gave her a major wake-up call. “Quit wasting time focusing on all that I’m not, when I could be celebrating all that I am,” Willis told her mom. Safe to say the words really resonated.

“And that for me is exactly it,” Moore said. “While we’re so focused on what we’re not, we miss out on the beauty of all that we are.”

“The thing is, I do have love for my body, but it’s more about appreciation—I can really appreciate all that my body does for me now, not just how it looks,” Moore continued. “And the more I appreciate the lines in the corner of my eyes—the more I can find beauty in the life that I’ve lived—the more my life has beauty.”

For anyone reading this, whether you’re Moore’s age or not, the words should hold dear. After all, having an appreciation for your body and what it’s been through might be hard, but it’s truly life-changing. We’re thankful Moore (and her daughter!) got to share that wisdom.

Before you go, click here to see our favorite movies and TV shows about imperfect, complicated women.