section_path: Career/Established career (1990–1997)
section_name: Established career (1990–1997)
paragraph_text: Established career (1990–1997)
  
  Moore's most successful film to date is the supernatural romantic melodrama Ghost, which grossed over $505 million at the box office and was the highest-grossing film of 1990, as well as the most rented videocassette of 1991. She played a young woman in jeopardy to be protected by the ghost of her murdered boyfriend through the help of a reluctant psychic. The love scene between Moore and Patrick Swayze that starts in front of a potter's wheel to the sound of " Unchained Melody " has become an iconic moment in cinema history. Ghost was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Moore's performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination and the Saturn Award for Best Actress. She started fashion trends with her uncharacteristically gamine look, and legions of women emulated the short haircut she sported throughout the film. At one point, Ghost and Die Hard 2, starring Moore's then-husband Bruce Willis, would occupy the number one and number two spots at the box office, a feat that would not be accomplished again for a married Hollywood couple until 2024.
  
  In 1991, Moore starred as a lawyer in the horror comedy Nothing but Trouble, a murder suspect in the mystery thriller Mortal Thoughts, and a clairvoyant woman in the romantic comedy The Butcher's Wife. Mortal Thoughts, which co-starred Willis, was a "passion project" for Moore, who wanted a more challenging role following the success of Ghost and was particularly drawn to her character's New Jersey dialect. After the original director was fired and replaced by Alan Rudolph, she took it upon herself to mitigate the film's financial constraints, offering to pay overtime for the shooting.
  
  Moore received a $2.5 million fee to star in The Butcher's Wife, but later regretted making the film. It was noted that, during production, she was "catered to by an assistant, a dialogue coach, a masseuse, a psychic consultant, 's nanny, and a bodyguard —in addition to the standard-issue hairdresser, makeup person, and stand-in. She arrived for each morning's shoot in a limo and insisted on flying between locations by private plane." Screenwriter Ezra Litwak stated: "Demi is very much a movie star. Everything revolves around that fact. She knows what she wants and how to get it." The film was a critical and commercial failure, but Roger Ebert embraced her performance, describing it as "warm and cuddly."
  
  Moore's next roles —a lieutenant commander in Rob Reiner 's A Few Good Men (1992), a morally tested wife in Adrian Lyne 's Indecent Proposal (1993), and a sexually charged employer in Barry Levinson 's Disclosure (1994)— raised her demand among studios. The three aforementioned films opened atop the box office and were blockbuster hits. Producer Martin Shafer considered her to be "every bit as valuable as " and called her "the biggest female star in the world."
  
  With her A-list status, some of Moore's film choices were the subject of widespread scrutiny. Her portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter (1995), a "freely adapted" version of the historical romance novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was met with harsh disapproval. James Berardinelli found her to be "out of her depth" and noted that her "insufficient" range resulted in a "weak" performance. She played an author with commitment issues in the coming-of-age drama Now and Then (1995), which she described as "more than just a film it was an adventure". Now and Then did not score with critics but found box office success and cult following.
  
  Moore became the world's highest-paid actress when she was paid a record-breaking salary of $12.5 million to star as a FBI secretary-turned- stripper in Striptease (1996). Her own daughter Rumer Willis, who was 7 years old when the film was released, played her character's daughter. Despite grossing a respectable $113 million worldwide, Striptease was heavily disliked. Brian D. Johnson of Maclean's was critical of Moore's acting and described the film as a "tacky" display of her vanity. She starred as a single mother intimidated by a mobster in the thriller The Juror (1996), which did not connect with critics nor audiences. For both Striptease and The Juror, she received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.
  
  Moore produced and starred in HBO 's If These Walls Could Talk (1996), a three-part anthology about abortion alongside Sissy Spacek and Cher. Its screenwriter, Nancy Savoca, directed two segments, including one in which Moore played a widowed nurse in the early 1950s seeking a back-alley abortion. If These Walls Could Talk became HBO 's highest-rated original film to date, drawing 6.9 million viewers. For the film, Moore received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. In 1996, she provided the voice of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Dallas Grimes in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, both of which were the highest-grossing animated films that year.
  
  Moore portrayed the first woman to undergo training in the Navy SEALs in Ridley Scott 's G.I. Jane (1997). For her role, she shaved her head and went through a rigorous two-week military training. The film received mixed reviews and earned her another Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, but her performance was largely praised by critics. Budgeted at $50 million, it was a moderate commercial success, grossing $98.4 million worldwide. Striptease and G.I. Jane were considered to have contributed to a professional downturn, on which she later remarked: "With Striptease, it was as if I had betrayed women, and with G.I. Jane, it was as if I had betrayed men." Nevertheless, she has described G.I. Jane as one of her proudest professional achievements. In 1997, she played an ultrapious Jewish convert psychiatrist in Woody Allen 's Deconstructing Harry, and an emotionally estranged wife in Mark Pellington 's short film Destination Anywhere.
  
  Moore's most successful film to date is the supernatural romantic melodrama Ghost, which grossed over $505 million at the box office and was the highest-grossing film of 1990, as well as the most rented videocassette of 1991. She played a young woman in jeopardy to be protected by the ghost of her murdered boyfriend through the help of a reluctant psychic. The love scene between Moore and Patrick Swayze that starts in front of a potter's wheel to the sound of " Unchained Melody " has become an iconic moment in cinema history. Ghost was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Moore's performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination and the Saturn Award for Best Actress. She started fashion trends with her uncharacteristically gamine look, and legions of women emulated the short haircut she sported throughout the film. At one point, Ghost and Die Hard 2, starring Moore's then-husband Bruce Willis, would occupy the number one and number two spots at the box office, a feat that would not be accomplished again for a married Hollywood couple until 2024.
  
  In 1991, Moore starred as a lawyer in the horror comedy Nothing but Trouble, a murder suspect in the mystery thriller Mortal Thoughts, and a clairvoyant woman in the romantic comedy The Butcher's Wife. Mortal Thoughts, which co-starred Willis, was a "passion project" for Moore, who wanted a more challenging role following the success of Ghost and was particularly drawn to her character's New Jersey dialect. After the original director was fired and replaced by Alan Rudolph, she took it upon herself to mitigate the film's financial constraints, offering to pay overtime for the shooting.
  
  Moore received a $2.5 million fee to star in The Butcher's Wife, but later regretted making the film. It was noted that, during production, she was "catered to by an assistant, a dialogue coach, a masseuse, a psychic consultant, 's nanny, and a bodyguard —in addition to the standard-issue hairdresser, makeup person, and stand-in. She arrived for each morning's shoot in a limo and insisted on flying between locations by private plane." Screenwriter Ezra Litwak stated: "Demi is very much a movie star. Everything revolves around that fact. She knows what she wants and how to get it." The film was a critical and commercial failure, but Roger Ebert embraced her performance, describing it as "warm and cuddly."
  
  Moore's next roles —a lieutenant commander in Rob Reiner 's A Few Good Men (1992), a morally tested wife in Adrian Lyne 's Indecent Proposal (1993), and a sexually charged employer in Barry Levinson 's Disclosure (1994)— raised her demand among studios. The three aforementioned films opened atop the box office and were blockbuster hits. Producer Martin Shafer considered her to be "every bit as valuable as " and called her "the biggest female star in the world."
  
  With her A-list status, some of Moore's film choices were the subject of widespread scrutiny. Her portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter (1995), a "freely adapted" version of the historical romance novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was met with harsh disapproval. James Berardinelli found her to be "out of her depth" and noted that her "insufficient" range resulted in a "weak" performance. She played an author with commitment issues in the coming-of-age drama Now and Then (1995), which she described as "more than just a film it was an adventure". Now and Then did not score with critics but found box office success and cult following.
  
  Moore became the world's highest-paid actress when she was paid a record-breaking salary of $12.5 million to star as a FBI secretary-turned- stripper in Striptease (1996). Her own daughter Rumer Willis, who was 7 years old when the film was released, played her character's daughter. Despite grossing a respectable $113 million worldwide, Striptease was heavily disliked. Brian D. Johnson of Maclean's was critical of Moore's acting and described the film as a "tacky" display of her vanity. She starred as a single mother intimidated by a mobster in the thriller The Juror (1996), which did not connect with critics nor audiences. For both Striptease and The Juror, she received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.
  
  Moore produced and starred in HBO 's If These Walls Could Talk (1996), a three-part anthology about abortion alongside Sissy Spacek and Cher. Its screenwriter, Nancy Savoca, directed two segments, including one in which Moore played a widowed nurse in the early 1950s seeking a back-alley abortion. If These Walls Could Talk became HBO 's highest-rated original film to date, drawing 6.9 million viewers. For the film, Moore received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. In 1996, she provided the voice of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Dallas Grimes in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, both of which were the highest-grossing animated films that year.
  
  Moore portrayed the first woman to undergo training in the Navy SEALs in Ridley Scott 's G.I. Jane (1997). For her role, she shaved her head and went through a rigorous two-week military training. The film received mixed reviews and earned her another Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, but her performance was largely praised by critics. Budgeted at $50 million, it was a moderate commercial success, grossing $98.4 million worldwide. Striptease and G.I. Jane were considered to have contributed to a professional downturn, on which she later remarked: "With Striptease, it was as if I had betrayed women, and with G.I. Jane, it was as if I had betrayed men." Nevertheless, she has described G.I. Jane as one of her proudest professional achievements. In 1997, she played an ultrapious Jewish convert psychiatrist in Woody Allen 's Deconstructing Harry, and an emotionally estranged wife in Mark Pellington 's short film Destination Anywhere.