Demi Moore nearly lost her role in “St. Elmo’s Fire” to Madonna after allegedly arriving “drunk and high” for a fitting, according to the film’s cowriter Carl Kurlander.
The revelation offered a dramatic look at how close the 1985 movie came to featuring a different star, as reported [1] by Page Six.
Kurlander discussed the casting crisis on an episode of “Reality Life with Kate Casey.” He said director Joel Schumacher and producer Lauren Shuler Donner met with Moore as concerns mounted over her condition.
According to Kurlander, Schumacher delivered a brutal warning to the future Oscar nominee. Kurlander said the director told Moore, “Go kill yourself on someone else’s movie.”
The ultimatum did not immediately end Moore’s chance of playing Jules Van Patten. Instead, Kurlander said Shuler Donner and Schumacher created a strict path that could allow the actress to remain with the movie.
Kurlander credited the producer with helping arrange that opportunity. He recalled her saying, “Look, if you can clean yourself up in 10 days you can be in this movie.”
Moore was not the only performer under consideration while her place in the cast remained uncertain. Kurlander claimed Schumacher had already met Madonna and was convinced that the singer was headed for enormous fame.
“This girl is going to be the biggest star in the world. I could just feel it,” Kurlander quoted Schumacher as saying. The director was reportedly prepared to offer Moore’s part to Madonna.
Demi Moore previously opened up about having a 24/7 sober companion on the 1985 film ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ which she nearly lost to Madonna. https://t.co/enn6AyhdDk
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) October 8, 2026 [2]
Moore responded by attending AA meetings and working with a sober companion, Kurlander said. Those steps apparently changed the situation before Madonna could take the role.
“She clearly had more than just cleaned up,” Kurlander said of Moore. His account suggested that her actions convinced the filmmakers to keep her in the production despite the earlier confrontation.
A representative for Moore did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Thursday. Moore, now 63, ultimately played Jules, the troubled but brilliant “party girl” at the center of the ensemble.
Her fellow cast members included Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham. The role became Moore’s after she met the conditions described by Kurlander and continued working with support during production.
Moore has previously acknowledged having a sober companion while filming the coming-of-age movie. In the 2024 Hulu documentary “Brats,” she discussed Schumacher’s decision to stand behind her during a conversation with McCarthy.
She said Schumacher “really stuck his neck out for me because it’s not like I had any box-office draw.” Moore also acknowledged that her position at the time did not give the director an obvious reason to take that chance.
“I didn’t have anything to really warrant him sticking by me,” she told McCarthy in the documentary. “They paid to have a sober companion with me 24/7 during the whole shooting.”
Moore recognized how easily the production could have moved forward without her. “They could have easily just found someone else,” she noted while reflecting on the support she received.
The actress later sought treatment following years of struggles with addiction issues. She has been sober since seeking treatment in 2012, years after the intense casting showdown that nearly put Madonna in her “St. Elmo’s Fire” role.