The 2025 Golden Globes was an incredible night for women in their "second act," with Demi Moore giving one of the most emotional and poignant speeches of the evening, revealing she was taught to believe she had no worth as a serious actress and that her career was over.
However, following her win for The Substance – her first ever Golden Globe – Demi told HELLO! that women need to learn to value themselves and hope that the world will change for them and not around them.
© Penske Media via Getty Images"We all know that there are certain kinds of conditions – societal conditioning – but what we really have to look at is what we're choosing to buy into – just because something exists it doesn't make it the truth," she said.
"And I think it all goes back to how we choose to hold ourselves. When we value ourselves and have enough self love then it will reflect out in the world and the world will follow and change to accommodate how you are reflecting yourself."
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesIt was a powerful moment that came amid wins from other Hollywood stars also in their second act including Jodie Foster and Zoe Saldana.
Jodie told the press after her win for True Detective: Night Country that she believes "something happens" to women at a certain age "where suddenly you go, 'Oh, I don't really care about all the stupid things anymore, and I'm not gonna compete with myself'".
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesThe 62-year-old mother-of-two – who also won an Emmy for her work on the HBO show – added: "I'm excited about what's left of my life and who I become and the wisdom that I can bring to the table.
"For me this is the most contented moment in my career, and I never would have known that but something happened the day I turned 60 and it all just came together."
© PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATHÉ FILMS - FRANCE 2 CINÉMAFor Zoe Saldana – who won the first award of the night and set the tone with a tearful speech that gave her the opportunity to share how grateful she was for the recognition – this moment in her life at the age of 46 sees her "happy".
"I'm happy. I'm 46, and there was a moment a couple of years ago where I was thinking about Plan B's. Do I go into a homestead and start planting a garden and baking goods? Do I become the sexiest soccer mom in my mind?" she quipped.
"But the truth is I'm an artist through and through and I need to create every day. If not, I don't know why I'm here and that's how my loved ones can get the best of me, when I am allowed to create."
Demi's comments came after a powerful speech on stage after accepting Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Film (Musical or Comedy) for The Substance.
"Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress and at that time, I took that to 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 I couldn’t be acknowledged," the 62-year-old said.
"I believed that, and that corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it, maybe I was complete. I’ve done what I was supposed to do. And as I was at kind of a low point, 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 that you’re not done."
The Substance is a horror/thriller that follows TV personality Elisabeth Sparkle who is fired on her 50th birthday from her aerobics show. A laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself – to devastating effects.
Demi found fame in 1985 in St Elmo's Fire and had mainstream success throughout the 1990s in films like Ghost, A Few Good Men and Indecent Proposal.
In recent years Demi has returned to the big and small screen appearing in the Emmy-nominated Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and new Paramount+ series Landman.
HELLO!'s Second Act community was launched in 2024 and shines the spotlight on inspirational women living their best midlife as well as offering invaluable advice from leading voices and inspirational women on everything from health, finances and careers to travel, beauty and careers.
