In 1996, all eyes were on Demi Moore with the release of the film Striptease. It wasn't the nature of the production that caused a stir; rather, it was Moore's record-breaking paycheck of $12.5 million that made headlines.
Striptease was considered a commercial failure
Striptease, released in 1996, was a comedy-drama about a woman, played by Demi Moore, who becomes a stripper to make ends meet and fight for custody of her daughter.
Despite raking in over $113 million globally, surpassing its $50 million budget, the movie was met with scathing reviews and deemed a commercial flop.
Demi Moore made history with her Striptease paycheck
Despite the film's mixed reception, Moore's role in Striptease earned her a groundbreaking $12.5 million, making her the highest-paid actress at the time. This set a new standard for pay equity in Hollywood, challenging the historical gender pay gap.
During an interview, Moore discussed the criticism she received for her substantial paycheck. She clarified that the issue wasn't about being compared to her then-husband Bruce Willis, with whom she was frequently compared publicly at the time.
She told the New York Times newspaper's 'The Interview' podcast: "It wasn’t about comparing myself to him. Yes, I saw what he got paid.
“It was really more about: ‘Why shouldn’t I? If I’m doing the same amount of work, why shouldn’t I?’ "
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She compared the situation to her famous Vanity Fair magazine cover, and called out the reaction to the photoshoot.
She added: "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 when they were pregnant needed to be hidden?
"Why is it that we have to deny that we had sex? That’s the fear, right, that if you show your belly, that means, oh, my gosh, you’ve had sex.”
Moore explained how she felt a fierce backlash over her earnings for 'Striptease', as people "shamed" her for the role and her payday.
She said: "Well, with ‘Striptease,’ it was as if I had betrayed women, and with ‘G.I. Jane,’ it was as if I had betrayed men.
“But I think the interesting piece is that when I became the highest-paid actress — why is it that, at that moment, the choice was to bring me down?
"I don’t take this personally. I think anyone who had been in the position that was the first to get that kind of equality of pay would probably have taken a hit.
"But because I did a film that was dealing with the world of stripping and the body, I was extremely shamed.”
She told Variety: "It wasn’t just about me; it was about changing the playing field for all women. But because I was portraying a stripper, I betrayed women.”