Aahana Swrup
Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance,’ a body horror film with pointed socio-cultural messaging, revolves around Elisabeth Sparkle, Hollywood’s former-darling-turned-has-been. Although she once used to be the talk of the town, the day the actress reaches 50, she gets fired as the host of a daytime aerobics show, “Sparkle Your Life With Elisabeth.” Consequently, as the industry that once celebrated her shuns her to the shadows, Elisabeth grows desperate and subscribes to an experimental and secretive drug. “The Substance” serum promises to change the woman’s life by offering her a better, younger version of herself, Sue, who can regain the love and adoration of the public. However, as Sue and Elisabeth begin sharing their lives, the cost of the drug’s miracle catches up to them in adverse ways.
For the most part, ‘The Substance’ is a departure from reality, creating a distinct and eerie world of its own. Nonetheless, amidst this sea of surreality, Elisabeth Sparkle remains a touchstone, offering a grounding dose of realism through her narrative.
Elisabeth Sparkle: The Fictional Character Embodies a Realistic Struggle
The protagonist from ‘The Substance,’ Elisabeth Sparkle, isn’t directly based on a real-life celebrity. Instead, she’s a work of writer and director Coralie Fargeat’s imagination, created as a narrative representation of the story’s central themes. The film deals with the themes of self-image—especially among women—under society’s constant and consistent scrutinization. Consequently, Elisabeth Sparkle becomes the perfect candidate to propel forward the same subject as an aging woman in the entertainment industry. Similarly, her fictionalized aerobic show, “Sparkle Your Life With Elisabeth,” is also an apt narrative element to showcase the nature of society’s perception of women in connection to their youthful beauty.
In creating Elisabeth’s character, Fargeat creates a vessel to carry the film’s thematic messaging about self-image, gender-based double standards, and the relationship between a woman and her body as sculpted by society’s perception of it. Naturally, Elisabeth’s profession as an actress easily plays into these themes as it highlights the microscope the public puts her under. In the film, she is an award-winning actress who reached for the stars in her youth. Nevertheless, her notoriety and talent are allowed to fade to insignificance until she’s a regular nobody of a bygone era.
This remains reflective of the female-centric ageism that runs rampant in various professional industries—but especially in Hollywood. As per research conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, women in their 50s are seldom cast in central roles on-screen and are less likely to receive interesting character development. The same isn’t new and has been a common truth in media and culture for years. As such, Elisbaeth’s character taps into a universal truth older actresses face within the entertainment industry and delivers a realistic narrative.
For the same reason, it isn’t a surprise that Actress Demi Moore, who helms the role on-screen, found a natural connection to the character. Moore has been a household name for some time since her rise to fame in the 1980s. However, the same also means she has received more than her fair share of public scrutiny and criticism. From tabloid gossip to criticism about her relationships and ostracization for demanding equal pay, Moore has had to endure it all in her career. Perhaps for the same reason, Elisabeth’s story resonates strongly with the actress, further imbuing her performance with authenticity.
In a conversation with Today, Moore spoke about her connection to the film. She said, “I placed a lot of value on what my body looked like, as being a defining marker of whether I belonged or not, whether I could succeed or not, all of those things, which, again, is a big part of the theme in the film.” As such, Elisabeth Sparkle remains a relatable character with a storyline that is reflective of reality. Even so, in terms of direct inspiration, the character remains a work of fiction.
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