Demi Moore recalls life-changing advice from Garry Marshall at 14

Demi Moore is looking back on a life-changing moment from her teenage years that helped shape her path in Hollywood.

The 63-year-old actress recently shared the story while attending the global launch of Kérastase’s revamped Chronologiste line on March 3, where she also celebrated her new role as the brand’s Global Ambassador.

During a panel discussion with Sara Foster, Moore recalled a memorable encounter with legendary television creator Garry Marshall when she was just 14 years old.

“I remember I was 14 and living in California and I was invited to go see a taping of the TV show Happy Days,” Moore said. “I was so excited to be there.”

Moore explained that during the visit, she had a brief conversation with Marshall, who created the beloved sitcom.

“The creator of that show was a man named Garry Marshall,” she recalled. “I don’t know what I was doing or saying, but he turned to me and said, ‘If you could bottle that energy, you could do something with it.’”

Though she was only a teenager at the time, Moore said the comment left a powerful impression.

“That moment infused in me a level of I don’t want to say confidence — but a specificity of direction that I needed so desperately,” she said. “It helped me take something inside and direct it toward what I ended up doing with my career.”

Marshall was widely known as a prolific writer, director, and producer in Hollywood. 

In addition to creating Happy Days, he was also behind hit television shows, including Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley, and directed the iconic romantic comedy Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts.

Years after their first meeting, Moore had the opportunity to tell Marshall how much his brief words had meant to her.

“I said to him many years later, ‘You said this thing to me and it completely changed my life,’” she shared.

Marshall, however, did not remember the moment something Moore said ultimately made the lesson even more meaningful.

“We never know the seed we might plant for somebody else,” she said. “Don’t ever underestimate the impact you might have by giving something of yourself to someone else.”