Question: Elisabeth is a rich and famous TV celebrity and former Oscar-winning actress. How come she has to live in an apartment with a such working-class-looking lowlife creep like Oliver? Why does she even have neighbours? She must be a millionaire at a minimum.
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1st Jun 2025
The Substance (2024)
Answer: M.C. Hammer amassed a multi-million dollar fortune, but within ten years he lost it all. She believed in her own hype. She believed she was on top forever. By the end of the 1980s, the whole fitness craze went the way of the dinosaur.
Answer: In addition to the other answers, it should also be reaffirmed that the movie isn't meant to be 100% realistic. It's purposely written to be very hyperbolic, cartoonish and almost like a "dark fairy tale." And one of the themes is the predatory way women in the entertainment industry (and the world at large) are treated. Even someone as famous as she being forced to stay in an apartment with a creepy, leering neighbour contributes to that theme… she can't escape predation, even at home. (I think it should also be noted that her apartment is fairly large and luxurious, especially for an expensive city like LA. The rent in a place like that is probably about 5X what I'd pay to rent an entire house in my city. So it's not like she has no money.)
10th Apr 2025
The Substance (2024)
Question: Although it's not officially stated or mentioned, the movie definitely takes place in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the time-lapse sequence of Elizabeth's Walk of Fame star, there's a wintery part with snow covering the walkway. Is it realistic to depict snow in Southwest California, especially in LA?
Answer: There's a false belief that an Oscar winner automatically becomes a megastar, raking in millions and getting many movie offers. That's true for some, particularly established actors, but many find that their careers did not significantly improve and even diminished. Unfortunately, Oscar awards can be less about acting ability and more about Hollywood political wrangling, a popularity choice, a PC vote, personal bias, or a sympathy win. Some believe in an "Oscar Curse," where winning actually hurts an actor's career.
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