Demi Moore says she earned her 'striptease' paycheck

Demi Moore made history with her 1996 film striptease. The film earned her $12.5 million, making her the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. Unfortunately, she and the film were also vilified in the process. Moore spoke about the incident during a chat on The New York Times Podcast,“The Interview.” Moore is currently promoting her next film, The substancebut she took some time to reflect on her career and the big moments that have shaped her path in the entertainment industry.

“Well, with stripteaseit was as if I had cheated on women, and with GI Janeit was like I was cheating on men,” Moore said of the films she made in the 90s. She went on to say that the theme of striptease made it an easy target for critics. “But I think the interesting thing is that when I became the highest-paid actress – why did they decide at that moment to pull me down? I don't take it personally. I think anyone who was in the position of being the first to get that kind of pay equality would probably have taken a hit. But because I made a film that dealt with the world of stripping and the body, I was extremely mortified.”

At the time, Moore was married to Bruce Willis and she noted that she was very aware of the pay gap between his work and hers. She explained that while she hadn't compared the numbers, she felt they both earned what they deserved.

“It wasn't about comparing myself to him. Yes, I saw what he made,” Moore said. “It was more about, 'Why shouldn't I? If I do the same amount of work, why shouldn't I?' And it's no different than when I did the cover for Vanity Fair pregnant. I didn't understand why it was such a big deal, why women had to hide their pregnancy? Why do we have to deny that we had sex? That's the fear that if you show your belly it means, “Oh my god, you had sex.”

Moore also spoke about the striptease Counter-reaction with diversityand called it a “powerful” moment for her. She reiterated that she felt like she had “betrayed” women everywhere, but that the paycheck “was so powerful for me because it wasn't just about me; it was about changing the playing field for all women. But because I portrayed a stripper, I betrayed women.”

“It quickly became, 'She's only getting paid for playing a stripper.' That hit me really hard,” she revealed. “But at the same time, I knew that whoever steps out first will take the hit. That goes for anyone who challenges the status quo.”