Landman's Demi Moore Missed Out On One Of The Biggest Blockbusters Of All Time

Demi Moore stars in the hit Taylor Sheridan series "Landman" as Cami Miller, the eventual owner of the oil company M-Tex. It's a great high-profile gig for Moore following her wholly committed performance in the goopy body horror movie "The Substance" (for which she received an Oscar nomination).

Moore, of course, has been a superstar for decades, having risen quickly to fame back in the 1980s after starring in dramas like "St. Elmo's Fire," comedies like "One Crazy Summer," and rom-coms like "About Last Night..." In 1990, she starred in her biggest hit to date, the supernatural romance film "Ghost," right when she was in the middle of her highly-publicized relationship with fellow superstar Bruce Willis. There was a time that one couldn't turn their head without seeing a photo of Moore. The fact that she's still appearing in giant hits is a testament to her A-lister resilience and charm in the Hollywood system. And her talent, of course.

Moore's first notable role, after a few TV cameos, was a regular gig on "General Hospital" when she was only about 19 years old. At about that same time, she appeared in "Parasite," a 3D monster flick directed by B-movie luminary Charles Band. She continued her rapid ascent from there, showing up in "St. Elmo's Fire" just a few years later.

She might have risen even more quickly, though, had Moore nailed her audition for director Tony Scott's wildly successful 1986 military actioner "Top Gun." Speaking with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show in 2019 (via The Independent), the actor revealed that she had auditioned to play Charlie, the role that ultimately went to Kelly McGillis. Sadly, as Moore admitted, she kind of blew it.

Demi Moore admitted openly that she simply didn't do a good job when auditioning to play Charlie. Who's to say why? She simply got a bad case of nerves, as so many of us do. Sadly, messing up did a number on her self-esteem. As she put it:

"I think it was just the timing of things. I think the first audition was great and the screen test, I shanked, I got in my head. [...] I just got nervous, and I didn't own it. [...] But in my beating myself up, it then just reinforced the idea that I didn't think I was good enough." 

Moore would get an opportunity to act opposite "Top Gun" star Tom Cruise several years later, however, when she appeared in director Rob Reiner's 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men." And thanks to "Ghost," she became a worldwide star. So, ultimately, everything worked out for the best. Still, "Top Gun" still dealt a blow to Moore's ego. 

The same year "Top Gun" was released, Moore played the co-lead in Emilio Estevez's crime spree drama "Wisdom," along with the aforementioned "One Crazy Summer" and "About Last Night..." Two years later, in 1988, she would land her first leading film role in the religious horror movie "The Seventh Sign." 

Kelly McGillis, meanwhile, also scored her first starring role in 1988, appearing as a high-powered district attorney in Jonathan Kaplan's sexual assault drama "The Accused." Coincidentally, she, too, had a high-profile Hollywood relationship, as she was dating Warren Beatty for a while. She came out as gay in 2009 and is still working to this day. Sadly, she wasn't asked back for "Top Gun: Maverick."

Moore and McGillis have yet to appear in a movie together.