Demi Moore says Bruce Willis was 'controlling' during marriage, wanted her to be stay-at-home mom

close

Video

Demi Moore penning a memoir that details relationships with mom, ex-husbands

Actress Demi Moore is writing a memoir that details relationship with her mother and ex-husbands.

Demi Moore gets along great with ex-husband Bruce Willis now, but she accused the "Die Hard" star of being controlling during their marriage.

Moore, 56, says that Willis, 64, didn't want her to work despite her becoming the highest-paid woman in Hollywood at the time.

The "G.I. Jane" star says she and Willis bonded over their mutual traumas: She from her troubled childhood and he from his struggle with stuttering as a child and adolescent. They married in 1987 after a whirlwind four-month courtship, with Little Richard officiating, and resided on a ranch in Idaho.

DEMI MOORE'S NUDE PREGNANCY PHOTO WAS MEANT TO BE PRIVATE

"Bruce insisted that he thought everything about me was beautiful: he wrapped my fear and anxiety in his love," Moore wrote in "Inside Out" (via The Daily Mail). "But if you carry a well of shame and unresolved trauma inside of you, no amount of money, no measure of success or celebrity can fill it."

DEMI MOORE SAYS SHE SPOKE WITH EX ASHTON KUTCHER BEFORE RELEASING TELL-ALL MEMOIR

Demi Moore and actor Bruce Willis attend the 39th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 1987 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. (Getty)

That may be why, Moore says, Willis tried to control her and keep her at home during their marriage. After welcoming daughter Rumer in 1988, Moore quickly lost her baby weight and was eager to get back to work. She said she got an offer for "We're No Angels" with Robert De Niro and Sean Penn in 1989, but that Willis told her, "This is never going to work if you're off shooting a film."

Moore says she told Willis they'd make it work and planned to bring Rumer to the "We're No Angels" set with her in Canada, but that Willis insisted she become a stay-at-home mom. Moore took the role and says she flew home every weekend to be with Willis.

DEMI MOORE'S DAUGHTER RUMER RESPONDS TO 'INSIDE OUT' MEMOIR

It was when Moore became a household name with "Ghost" in 1990 that she says Willis told her, "I don't know if I want to be married." She claims Willis wanted the security and stability of a family, but that "he also craved excitement and novelty ... Basically he wanted to do whatever the f—k he wanted."

"He was 36, throw in celebrity and money. You do the math," she added.

They agreed to never be apart for more than two weeks and spend four days together, but Moore "had a very rebellious reaction to Bruce in general" and violated their pact with a film.

Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Emma Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis attend Demi Moore's "Inside Out" book launch party on Sept. 23, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Getty)

DEMI MOORE: ASHTON KUTCHER MOCKED MY ALCOHOLISM

"I just didn't buy the ''You're the king' kind of thing, which he thrived on," she wrote. "Plus, telling me, 'I don't know if I want to be married' is not exactly the way to my heart."

Still, when she returned home to Idaho, she got pregnant again. She and Willis were overjoyed. The birth of their daughter, Scout, helped their relationship temporarily, and they scheduled their film slates around each other to make sure they could be together.

DEMI MOORE SAYS SHE CHEATED ON FIRST HUSBAND FREDDY MOORE THE NIGHT BEFORE THEIR WEDDING

Moore had a difficult third pregnancy with daughter Tallulah, leading Willis to have to care for Rumer and Scout when she got sick. Tallulah was born at under 5 pounds. Not long after her birth, Moore was offered $12 million for "Striptease," making her Hollywood's highest-paid actress and earning the unfortunate nickname "Gimme More" for negotiating a high salary.

JON CRYER DEMIES DEMI MOORE'S CLAIM THAT SHE TOOK HIS VIRGINITY

The stress from Tallulah's condition at birth, mixed with her new diva reputation and her struggle to save her marriage to Willis, Moore says, triggered an eating disorder. She wrote that she actually believed she and Willis frequently being separated for work actually prolonged their relationship.

Video

"I think both of us from the outset were more passionate about having kids than we were about being married," Moore wrote. Their own individual issues, compounded by their disagreements about her career and their level of commitment, ultimately led to their divorce in 2000.

DEMI MOORE SAYS SHE 'LOST' HERSELF AFTER ASHTON KUTCHER SPLIT

“I think Bruce was fearful at the beginning that I was going to make our split difficult, and that I would express my anger and whatever baggage that I had from our marriage by obstructing his access to the kids — that I’d turn to all of those ploys divorcing couples use as weapons,” Moore admitted. “But I didn’t, and neither did he.”

The Brat Pack actress wrote that the breakup “wasn’t easy at first,” but added that they both made a concerted effort to redirect the “heart of our relationship, the heart of what created our family, into something new that gave the girls a loving, supportive environment with both parents.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The move ended up working out for the former flames. Moore noted that the exes “felt more connected than we did before the divorce.” Moore even attended Willis and wife Emma Heming's wedding vow renewal ceremony in March — and Willis supported Moore at the launch for "Inside Out" this week.

Fox News' Julius Young contributed to this report.