Moore’s speech—which, to some fans, all but locked her chances of an Oscar nod later this month—made me wonder about the term popcorn actress. If a popcorn movie is a film measured by its entertainment value and box-office earnings more than its critical reception or contributions to filmic discourse, a popcorn actress is someone who tends to star in those films. (Moore, for her part, was one of the most bankable stars of the 1990s, appearing in hits like 1990’s Ghost, 1992’s A Few Good Men, 1993’s Indecent Proposal, and 1994’s Disclosure.)
Is it an objectively bad thing to be a popcorn actress? Not necessarily. (Personally, I love a low-stakes good time at the movies; not for nothing is my Letterboxd username emmahatesfilms.) That said, it’s disheartening to think of a performer as clearly richly capable as Moore being led to believe that she didn’t have more or better to offer the landscape of cinema. Like, that’s Demi Moore you’re talking to, anonymous producer! Someone who has, over the course of her career, appeared in soap operas, legal dramas, action movies, black comedies, period dramas, and so much more.
I have to wonder how many popcorn actresses are just waiting for the right opportunity to break out of that genre, as Moore did via The Substance’s Elisabeth Sparkle. In fact, Moore fits into a rather wide swath of women actors this awards season—among them Pamela Anderson, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Zendaya—challenging old narratives about their careers and showing exciting new sides of themselves and their powers onscreen.
While it’s objectively elegant of Moore not to name names, I’m still finding myself wondering who that producer was. Whoever they are, I’m guessing they’re feeling pretty foolish this Monday. Demi Moore forever!