The Aporia · Demi Moore almost lost role in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ to this megastar, after showing up ‘drunk and high’ to a fitting

Demi Moore almost lost role in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ to this megastar, after showing up ‘drunk and high’ to a fitting

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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Rock, A. (2026, October 8). Demi Moore almost lost role in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ to this megastar, after showing up ‘drunk and high’ to a fitting. New York Post. https://pagesix.com/2026/10/08/entertainment/demi-moore-almost-lost-role-in-st-elmos-fire-to-this-megastar/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

In an interview on "Reality Life with Kate Casey," co-writer Carl Kurlander revealed that Demi Moore almost lost her role in the 1985 film "St. Elmo’s Fire" to Madonna after showing up drunk and high for a fitting. The movie's director, Joel Schumacher, was prepared to give the part to Madonna but decided to wait ten days to see if Moore could clean up. After Moore began attending AA meetings and got a sober companion, she secured her role opposite stars like Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez.

Written by AI on 2026-10-09, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In 1985, Demi Moore nearly lost her role in the film "St. Elmo's Fire" when she reportedly showed up to a fitting drunk and high. According to co-writer Carl Kurlander, director Joel Schumacher and producer Lauren Shuler Donner were considering replacing Moore with then-unknown star Madonna, who they believed would become "the biggest star in the world." However, after receiving support from Shuler Donner, Moore began attending AA meetings and got a sober companion. She managed to recover within 10 days, securing her role in the movie. This incident highlights the precarious nature of early career stardom and the impact of substance abuse on professional opportunities.

Written for “Demi Moore Role Threatened” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Uncertain

21%

3 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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not political

takes no side on a contested political question

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Entertainment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Audrey Rock

89 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Also by Audrey Rock

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 89 articles by Audrey Rock →

Claims (14 extracted, 3 hedged)

Demi Moore nearly lost her role in “St Elmo’s Fire” to Madonna after allegedly showing up “drunk and high” to a fitting. uncertain

Moore → lose → fitting

“Joel [Schumacher] and Lauren Shuler met with Demi,” co-writer Carl Kurlander said on today’s episode of “Reality Life with Kate Casey,” referencing the iconic 1985 movie’s director and producer. asserted

Kurlander → meet → director

Kurland claimed his “mentor” Schumacher told him that he told the Oscar nominee, “Go kill yourself on someone else’s movie.” asserted

he → claim → movie

He added that producer “Lauren Shuler Donner, God bless her, worked out a plan with Joel, saying, ‘Look, if you can clean yourself up in 10 days you can be in this movie.’” asserted

you → add → movie

Kurlander further claimed that Schumacher “had met Madonna,” and said that “This girl is going to be the biggest star in the world. asserted

girl → claim → world

I could just feel it.” uncertain

I → feel → it

The movie’s co-writer added that the director “was all ready to offer the part to Madonna” — but Moore began going to AA meetings and got a sober companion. asserted

Moore → add → companion

“She clearly had more than just cleaned up,” Kurlander said of the “Substance” actress. asserted

Kurlander → have → actress

A rep for Moore did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Thursday. asserted

rep → respond → Thursday

Moore, now 63, went on to play Jules Van Patten — the troubled but brilliant “party girl” of the star-studded cast — opposite Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham. asserted

Moore → go → Lowe

The Golden Globe winner has previously acknowledged she had a sober companion during filming on the coming-of-age movie, saying in the 2024 Hulu documentary “Brats” that Schumacher “really stuck his neck out for me because it’s not like I had any box-office draw.” asserted

I → acknowledge → draw

“I didn’t have anything to really warrant him sticking by me,” she told McCarthy during a conversation for the doc. asserted

she → have → doc

“They paid to have a sober companion with me 24/7 during the whole shooting.” asserted

They → pay → shooting

She noted, “they could have easily just found someone else.” uncertain

they → note → someone

Demi Moore almost lost role in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ to this megastar, after showing up ‘drunk and high’ to a fitting

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Claims (14 extracted, 3 hedged)