Golden Globes 2025: Demi Moore wins Best Actress for ‘The Substance’, delivers an emotional acceptance speech

Demi Moore received a standing ovation and delivered a powerful speech upon winning the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy or Musical for her role in The Substance. The award marks a significant milestone in her career, as she revealed it’s her first acting win in over 45 years in the industry.

Visibly moved, Demi told the audience, “Oh wow. I really wasn’t expecting that. I’m just in shock right now. I’ve been doing this a long time, like over 45 years and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor. I’m just so humbled and so grateful.”

The 62-year-old actress, winning for her performance in the body-horror satire The Substance, shared a poignant anecdote from her past. She recounted how a producer had dismissed her as a ‘popcorn actress’ 30 years ago, a comment that deeply affected her.

Demi explained how this dismissive label led her to believe she was limited in her career, capable of commercial success but not critical acclaim. “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 I couldn’t be acknowledged,” she said.

“And I bought in, and 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, maybe I’ve done what I was supposed to do.”

However, the script for The Substance arrived at a pivotal moment, reigniting her passion. “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,” she continued.

The actress concluded her speech with an inspiring message about self-worth. Quoting a piece of advice she received, “Just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick,” she declared that she would celebrate the award as ‘a marker of my wholeness.’ She expressed gratitude for the love and support that drives her and for the opportunity to do what she loves, being reminded that she belongs.

This Golden Globe win represents Demi’s third nomination but her first win in many years. She was previously recognised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Ghost (1990) and the TV movie If These Walls Could Talk (1996).