Demi Moore Says Her Kids Made Her See That Success Isn’t Everything

Demi Moore is opening up about what truly matters most.

In a new interview with Glamour, the The Substance actress reflected on her career, the pursuit of success, and how her children helped her find deeper purpose.

When asked if there was ever a time she achieved something she thought she wanted, only to realize the dream had expired, Moore admitted that her perspective shifted after years of chasing professional milestones.

“Well, it was a realization after striving, working hard, having the good fortune of certain films, having really enormous success, and that [was] able to keep moving me forward and giving me even greater opportunities,” she said.

“But then certain personal things happened. My mother died, my marriage ended, and I stepped back from work to be with my kids. And there was a moment I realized that my own success—which had been a real driving thrust, a real motivation—wasn’t enough.”

Demi Moore shares three children with her former husband, Bruce Willis, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis.

Moore further explained that spending time with her children ultimately helped her reconnect with her true motivation.

“I had to reconnect with what moved me—why was I really doing this? We know that outside success is never the answer,” she continued. “And so I think recalibrating took me quite a while to really find the place in me that felt that what I had to offer from my inside was worthy of striving to do meaningful work.”

Moore won her first Golden Globe last winter for her role as Elisabeth Sparkle, in The Substance. During her emotional acceptance speech at the Beverly Hilton on January 5, Moore reflected on her journey to get to that moment.

“Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress,” she recalled. “At that time, I made that mean that this wasn’t something that I was allowed to have—that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that couldn’t be acknowledged. And I bought in, and I believed that.”

“As I was at a low point,” she continued, “I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance, and the universe told me, ‘You’re not done.’”