Demi Moore can clearly remember the moment she realized she would lose the Best Actress Oscar to Mikey Madison. Moore, who led “The Substance,” lost to the “Anora” actress during the 2025 Oscars. In a new interview, Moore shared that she knew during the commercial break before the award was announced that she was not favored by the Academy.
“I leaned over and whispered to my manager, ‘I think it’s going to Mikey,’” Moore told Time. “I don’t know why I knew, but I did. I was so centered and calm. I didn’t feel gutted. I didn’t feel any of those kinds of things. I just trusted, and am in trust of, whatever is going to unfold.”
Moore had previously won the best lead actress prizes at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and SAG Awards. However, “Anora” had already landed the Oscars for best editing, original screenplay, and director awards prior to Madison getting Best Actress (the feature went on to also win Best Picture).
Moore took to Instagram the day after the Academy Awards to applaud Madison’s win and also thank her “The Substance” team. At the time, Moore said that she couldn’t wait to see what Madison will do next in her career.
“As this awards season comes to a close, I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude for this journey,” Moore wrote at the time. “It’s been the ride of a lifetime and we’re just getting started! So grateful for my team, my fellow nominees, and everyone who has made this experience so full of joy and light… And a huge congratulations to Mikey Madison — can’t wait to see what you do next.”
Moore also reflected on her own career of being labeled a “popcorn actress” to IndieWire, saying, “What I’ve come to realize is that nobody can throw you under the bus unless you’ve thrown yourself under the bus. People can’t appreciate you unless you appreciate yourself. When you hold and value yourself for all that you are, as you are in whatever moment that is, then the rest of the world will follow. It doesn’t go the other way around. I just wasn’t ready yet to hold all that I am until this very moment.”
