Demi Moore wasn’t shocked when Mikey Madison snagged Best Actress for Anora—even if the Oscars audience was.
Heading into the 2025 Academy Awards, the 62-year-old actress was widely seen as the frontrunner for her performance in The Substance. In the body horror film, Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle, an aging TV aerobics star who turns to a mysterious substance that produces a “younger, hotter” version of herself that temporarily takes over her body. But the two selves must “respect the balance,” or suffer the consequences.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, Moore had swept Best Actress honors at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards, cementing her status as the favorite to win. But on the night, it was Madison, the 25-year-old actress, who walked away with the Oscar.
While viewers may have gasped when the announcer called Madison’s name, Moore wasn’t that surprised. Why? Well, in a new interview with Time magazine, the actress reveals that she kind of knew it was coming.
“I leaned over and whispered to my manager, ‘I think it’s going to Mikey,’” Moore said. “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.”
While Moore may have felt zen about her loss in the moment, the internet certainly did not. Almost immediately, people online began to label Madison’s surprise win as a real-life example of The Substance: an older actress gets passed over for a big accolade in favor of a much young ingenue. It was a classic case of “life imitating art.”
It didn’t help that Moore and Madison kind of look like each other. After all, they both have long dark hair and a penchant for wandering around in oversized sunglasses while holding their tiny, like truly tiny, dogs.
People even made jokes about Moore’s dog taking the substance.
Then, in true internet fashion, the backlash to Moore’s loss soon got its own backlash. Some people began to point out that the real-life substance comparisons were unfair and wrong, as older actresses won Oscars in the past, so Madison’s win had nothing to do with her being “young.”
Despite all the discourse the Oscars loss drummed up online, Moore is still incredibly happy with the newfound success she gained from her role in The Substance.
“To go from the beginning of this last year feeling like I was never part of the conversation to being acknowledged in a critical way for my work has just allowed me to open up my belief in greater possibilities,” Moore said.
As for what’s her next project, Moore didn’t say. Either way, it’s safe to bet that the offers were, and likely still are, pouring in.
