Cue “Hitchin’ a Ride” by Vanity Fare. There was a Now and Then reunion at ELLE’s Women in Hollywood event tonight, held in partnership with Ralph Lauren, Harry Winston, and TikTok. At the ceremony, Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson, and Rosie O’Donnell introduced honoree Demi Moore, one of their co-stars in the beloved coming-of-age film.
“We first worked with Demi on Now and Then, a film that she produced and starred in back in 1995, nearly 30 years ago,” Griffith said.
“We were all honored that she asked us to be a part of that film, a story about women produced by women, written by a woman, directed by a woman, and starring primarily women, a rare thing in 1995 and a true gift,” O’Donnell added.
They reminisced on their own memories with Moore and celebrated her boundary-breaking accomplishments.
“Back then, she shocked the world, appearing naked and seven months pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair,” Wilson said. “Now, celebrities walk the red carpet in less coverage than she was wearing.”
O’Donnell joked, “Frankly, if I looked like Demi Moore, I’d be naked in the frozen food section of Ralph’s every day.”
Griffith pointed out that in the film The First Wives Club, Goldie Hawn’s character Elise “laments all too wisely that there are only three ages for women in Hollywood: babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy.” Though that wasn’t the case for Moore’s career.
“But back then, Demi was a box office star in her own right playing strong, complicated women in a string of successful hits: Ghost, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, Disclosure,” Wilson said.
In addition to being a pioneering actress, Moore “was also producing hit films such as Now and Then, G.I. Jane, Austin Powers 1 and 2, and the award-winning If These Walls Could Talk,” O’Donnell continued.
“And now she’s experiencing a renaissance,” Griffith pointed out. “A Demi-ssance, if you will,” O’Donnell added.
It’s been almost three decades since the quartet starred in Lesli Linka Glatter’s Now and Then, which followed a group of friends who reunite and look back at their childhood as one of them is about to welcome a child.
Earlier in the night, Wilson, Moore, O’Donnell, and Griffith posed together on the carpet.
Wilson, Moore, and Griffith were also seen together in May at a benefit for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund in Beverly Hills.
In 2019, Moore also posted a reunion photo with Griffith, along with a portrait of the cast from Now and Then.
All these years later, it’s safe to say the actresses still hold the film—and each other—dear.
Watch Now and Then on Prime Video
TUNE IN TO ELLE’S WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD EVENT ON TIKTOK
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.