Kerry Hayes Rumer Willis starred with her mother Demi Moore in the 1996 filmStriptease In an interview with PEOPLE, Willis recalls putting "my mom's shoes on" and dancing "around the stage" as a youngster For Willis, the bold movie was one of her mom's many groundbreaking accomplishments in Hollywood Rumer Willisis walking down memory lane — in her momDemi Moore's heels. The actress, 36, "loved every second" of costarring in her first major film, 1996'sStriptease, as the onscreen daughter of Moore, 62, who played a mother working as a stripper. "I was just so enamored and kind of like, 'What is this world? What's going on here?' " she says. What does Willis, who was only 7 years old, remember about the experience? "I loved the costumes," she recalls to PEOPLE. "During lunch sometimes I would go try and put my mom's shoes on and a feather boa and dance around the stage." Also starring Armand Assante,Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick andBurt Reynolds, Andrew Bergman'sStripteasemade waves for giving Moore the biggest-ever paycheck for an actress at the time. Willis was present for many of her mother's racy scenes at the strip club, which "delighted" her, she says: "I was like, oh, there's all these ladies around me all the time. I was just so enamored." Though the film marked Willis' first "real role," she says, Moore resisted letting it become too regular of a routine. "I think if my mom had let me, I probably would've totally been a child actor," says Willis. "I've always loved acting." When Willis was filming her new Civil War-era action filmTrail of Vengeance, 2-year-old daughterLouettajoined her much like Willis herself did on the sets of dadBruce Willisand Moore's movies. "Louetta comes with me everywhere and she's always on set with me," explains Willis. "It's in my DNA, because I grew up this way… I was exposed to so many different people and so many different cultures and languages and just amazing artistry when I was a kid on set." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Joe Corrigan/Getty That was no less true onStriptease, which Willis names as one of her Oscar-nominated mother's many boundary-pushing accomplishments. "Sometimes I look at her, I'm like, 'Hey, lady, can you slow down a little bit? The rest of us are just trying to keep up,' " she quips. "She has been a leader for women and has been redefining beauty her whole career. She was thefirst personto be pregnant on the cover of a magazine," Willis points out. AfterStriptease, "there've been so many movies that gave women permission to not be afraid to show their bodies. She was the first one to really kind of redefine playing with masculinity and femininity inG.I. Jane. There've been so many milestones where she has been at the forefront." Stefanie Keenan/VF25/WireImage Moore winning the Golden Globe, SAG Award and more for her buzzy performance in last year'sThe Substancewas just the latest example of her mother's trailblazing, she adds. "As a daughter and then also as an actor, as a peer, it's been such an exciting time to see her finally receive awareness and accolades." Trail of Vengeance, from director Johnny Remo, is in select theaters and on VOD now. Read the original article onPeople
