Every Hollywood actor has his own favorite project, and for Demi Moore, her proudest work would be 1997’s G.I. Jane. If the title rings familiar, that is because it is the movie mentioned by Chris Rock at the Oscars as an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.
In the Ridley Scott-directed military movie, Moore shaved her head and bulked up her body to play Lt. Jordan O’Neil. Before the film became a punchline at the Academy Awards, it was one of Moore’s career-defining projects.
Demi Moore Gave All-Out Performance In 1997’s G.I. Jane Movie
In her memoir Inside Out, Demi Moore mentioned that G.I. Jane is her proudest professional achievement. Indeed, she willingly gave up her beautiful long locks to look the part of a Navy SEAL officer. She also went under intense military training.
Moore was very passionate about the project, and her performance was largely praised. However, the film was criticized by military veterans for inaccuracies, and it gave an underwhelming performance at the box office.
Moore told in an interview with Howard Stern about the rigorous training she and her co-stars went through:
“It was hardcore. Obviously, ours was modified, but we had all real scenes down there, and it was me and 40 guys.”
A consultant became concerned about Moore’s health after she started vomiting and getting blisters while in boot camp, and told her not to put herself through it anymore:
“Harry Humphries, our consultant, he said, ‘You know, you don’t really have to do all this.’ And I thought, ‘If I don’t right now I’ll never get it back.’ Of, y’know, the respect. I’m playing an officer.”
Because of her dedication to the project, G.I. Jane screenwriter David Twohy applauded Moore and told Yahoo Entertainment:
“It’s the performance of her career. The movie rises or falls on her performance, and that required her to have a total, unflinching commitment to that part. And she had that commitment — I think she f***ing nailed it.”
While Moore considered G.I. Jane her best work, it was the last film she did before taking an indefinite hiatus from acting. The actress focused on her family life with then-husband Bruce Willis.
Demi Moore Reflects On G.I. Jane’s Box-Office Performance
In her interview with W Magazine, Demi Moore shared her thoughts about G.I. Jane’s failure to appeal to the mass:
“I think G.I. Jane got hit because I was paid $12 million to do Striptease. In a sense, Striptease was a film where women felt I betrayed them. G.I. Jane is a film where men felt I betrayed them. The focus went on that paycheck.”
She called both films “wonderful” and shared that the mixed reaction of fans made her realize that “what we do is not who we are.” Amid the controversy, Moore became an influential figure in the equal salary movement for women in Hollywood.
G.I. Jane is more than just a bad Oscars joke. For Demi Moore, the strong message of the movie and the grueling experience of portraying a female Navy SEAL made it the best work of her entire career, and the one that will forever stand out amongst the many projects she did over the years.
Sources: Howard Stern, Yahoo Entertainment, W Magazine
