In a far cry from her memorable — if not exactly well-received — role in Striptease, Demi Moore has been cast as pioneering feminist and anti-pornography critic Gloria Steinem in the upcoming Lovelace, a biopic about Linda Lovelace who headlined one of the most successful porn movies ever, Deep Throat. Steinem famously wrote a 1980 expose in Ms. magazine titled "The Real Linda Lovelace," detailing the abuse and sexual exploitation Lovelace suffered at the hands of her husband Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard). Does Moore have the chops to pull off this supporting role?
This is stunt casting at its worst: Sure, "I can kind of see a resemblance" between Moore and Steinem, says Jen Yamato at Movieline. But along with the plan for James Franco to cameo as Hugh Hefner — plus Sharon Stone and Hank Azaria in supporting roles — this is turning Lovelace into a "bizarrely distracting hit parade-sideshow of stars." It would be a shame to see Lovelace's "compelling life story...lost in a cast almost entirely [composed] of actors unable to disappear into roles."
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