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Pamela Anderson said her breakthrough performance in "The Last Showgirl" is "just scratching the surface" of what she's capable of as an actor.
The film, directed by Gia Coppola — the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola and niece of Sofia Coppola — earned rave reviews following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, with critics calling Anderson's performance a "revelation" and "remarkable."
In the Las Vegas-set drama, Anderson plays Shelly, a dancer who finds herself facing an uncertain future when the show she's been a part of for three decades closes amid dwindling audience numbers.
The role has generated some Oscar buzz for the 57-year-old star ahead of the movie's limited US release on December 13 and its wider US release on January 10, 2025.
Following a screening of the film in London attended by Business Insider, Anderson spoke candidly about the project, drawing parallels between her character's crossroads and her own transition away from her "Baywatch" identity.
"It was very cathartic doing this film," she said at the event. "I feel like I got to pour my heart into this."
"I feel like it's the beginning of my career, that it's the first real-time I've been able to apply myself and focus and do what I know I'm capable of," she continued. "It's just scratching the surface."
But the role almost slipped by the star, as her then-agent declined it without consulting her, she said.
Luckily, however, Coppola's team also sent the script to her son, and when Anderson finally got her hands on it, she said she was "blown away."
"I had never read a script like this before, I'd never been offered anything like this," Anderson said. "I just thought, 'This is life or death, I have to do this.'"
It seems it was a timely opportunity for Anderson, who added that she "kind of gave up" on the idea of being able to prove herself as a serious actor before the role came along.
"I thought my life and my career took a certain turn," she went on, referring to the fame she earned following her role in "Baywatch," adding that she felt "disappointed" in her professional trajectory after the cult TV show ended.
"I thought maybe I just didn't work hard enough, maybe I turned into this caricature of myself where I felt no one could see beyond that," Anderson said.
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The Canadian-born actor now has two other movies in the works — the upcoming 2025 reboot of "Naked Gun," in which she stars alongside Liam Neeson, and the drama "Rosebush Pruning," where she's set to appear alongside Riley Keough, Callum Turner, Elle Fanning, and Lukas Gage.
But "The Last Showgirl" will always hold a special place for Anderson as the project that launched her new career arc, she said.
"I feel like she's the catalyst for the rest of my life," she said of her character.
"The Last Showgirl," written by Kate Gersten, also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Kiernan Shipka, and Brenda Song.
