Demi Moore opened up about why she believes Tom Cruise felt embarrassed by her pregnancy during the early days of filming A Few Good Men in 1992. The actress, who was nearly eight months pregnant with her and then-husband Bruce Willis’ second daughter, Scout, shared these insights at a recent New Yorker Festival event. Moore recalled that while she was comfortable moving around on set, Cruise seemed awkward about her condition.
“I think Tom was quite embarrassed,”
Moore recalled.
“I actually felt okay about it. I was moving around, though, right? But I could tell he felt that it was a bit awkward.”
The Pressure Surrounding Parenthood in Hollywood
Moore suggested that Cruise’s discomfort might have stemmed from the era’s Hollywood culture, where many actors faced pressure to choose between their careers and having children. At that time, becoming a parent often clashed with professional expectations in the industry. Moore challenged that mindset, questioning why having both a career and a family was seen as problematic.
“It’s one of the many things, for me, that I just felt didn’t make sense. And so I challenged that to say, you know, ‘Why not? Why can’t you have both?’”
she said.
“But with that, I think, came a lot of pressure I put on myself to, in a sense, prove that it was possible.”
Struggles Balancing Motherhood with Career Demands
The actress admitted that she became somewhat of an overachiever, driven to demonstrate that succeeding as both a mother and actress was achievable despite limited support at the time. She reflected on the intensity of managing her responsibilities amid the pressures of Hollywood.
“I look back at that time now, and I go, ‘What the f— was I thinking?’ And what was I even trying to prove? But it wasn’t as supported as it is today,”
Moore said.
“You know, to be breastfeeding and then blocking and rehearsing a scene.”
Preparing for the Film While Expecting
Moore also shared that she felt compelled to get in shape for her role as a military officer in A Few Good Men even before giving birth. Her commitment to physical fitness was so intense that it possibly influenced an early labor.
“I was going to be in a military uniform, and probably overly anticipated and started working out and trying to get in shape even before she was born,”
Moore explained.
“I did a two-and-a-half-hour hike the day my water broke. I did a 24-mile bike ride, and then was dancing at a reggae club — hence why she came two-and-a-half weeks early.”
Changing Support for Mothers on Film Sets
Thankfully, Moore noted that the atmosphere for young mothers working on film sets has improved considerably since the early 1990s. She emphasized that the support now available was lacking during her time on the A Few Good Men production.
The Legacy of A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men, adapted from Aaron Sorkin’s play, centers on the legal battle following the death of a U.S. marine, with a high-profile cast including Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Moore herself. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, marking it as a significant entry in Hollywood’s legal drama genre.
