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It’s wild to think that just a few short years ago, Pamela Anderson was considered something of a ‘90s star who had her moment in the sun, primarily noted for her bombshell persona. Now? There’s serious Oscar chatter surrounding her performance in The Last Showgirl. That’s right, Anderson — once the queen of Baywatch and the gossip pages — is being celebrated for a role that really lets her showcase her grit and serious acting chops.
Still, this pivotal performance almost didn’t happen for the Baywatch alum who has been embracing a makeup-free look while promoting the film. “He was sent the script, and he just turned it down within the hour. I don’t know if it was the money or the role or whatever. He thought I wouldn’t do it,” Anderson explained to People.
The “he” in question? Her former agent, who passed on the script without even letting Anderson know it existed. “He’s an old agent of mine, let me be clear,” she explained. “I changed agencies.”
Thankfully, her son Brandon Lee swooped in, tracking her down in Canada to deliver the script himself. Brandon, 28, is the son of Anderson and rock musician Tommy Lee. The couple’s relationship was famously thrust into the spotlight with the unauthorized release of a private tape, which, while a challenging period, inadvertently amplified Anderson’s celebrity status.
“She found Brandon — Brandon knew where I was obviously — and brought me the script,” she says. “I just knew I had to do it. It was very exciting.”
“The opportunity was something I was really craving,” she added.
Directed by Jamie Lynn Bennett, The Last Showgirl tells the story of Shelly, a seasoned Vegas dancer facing the abrupt end of her career. This raw narrative of rediscovering purpose parallels Anderson’s own journey. “You have to get a project that you can sink your teeth into to show people that you’re more than where you’ve been pigeonholed,” Anderson said.
Following the release of her 2023 memoir Love, Pamela, which redefined how many saw her, The Last Showgirl marks yet another step in her resurgence. Anderson has not only reclaimed her narrative but proven her versatility in the process. Her departure from her agency was “a long time coming.”
“I didn’t have a real strong agent or anyone with any vision or belief in me. Now I do, but only because I did The Last Showgirl.”
Before you go, click here to see all the details we learned from Pamela Anderson’s memoir ‘Love, Pamela.’
