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Pamela Anderson had no idea that another pop culture icon, Beyoncé, would pay tribute to her. Anderson, who’s been earning raves in her role as a veteran Vegas performer in the upcoming film “The Last Showgirl,” told Variety that Beyoncé’s “Beywatch” video (in which she channels Anderson) — and the attention that ensued — was completely unexpected. “I had no idea she was going to do that,” Anderson says. “I saw it at the same time everybody else did.”
In the video, Beyoncé encouraged people to vote while donning some of Anderson’s memorable looks from “Baywatch” (with a red swimsuit that read “Beywatch”), the cult classic film “Barb Wire” and Anderson’s iconic look at 1999 MTV VMA Awards (complete with fluffy pink hat).
That’s just the latest example of Anderson’s resurgence in the cultural zeitgeist. The actress is enjoying a massive resurgence in a career where she sometimes felt she hasn’t felt seen. “To have created memorable characters full of heart and vulnerability and love… I I like to see those, when those things come up.,” she says. “ Because you think in the in the moment, they weren’t really celebrated. But now looking back, they’re still on people’s minds.”
A day after the election, Anderson stopped by Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast to talk about her new movie, “The Last Showgirl,” and so much more. Listen below!
Popular on Variety Anderson was director Gia Coppola’s first choice for “The Last Showgirl,” but it was a role she almost missed out on. And that’s not because she was hesitant to take on the challenge or bear her soul, but simply because her agent at the time failed to pass along the script. It was actually the star’s son, Brandon Thomas Lee, who brought the project to her.
Anderson doesn’t recall the exact specifics, but says Lee saw the script on a desk and asked about it. “This person just didn’t seem to think that I would want to do it, or that it wasn’t enough money, or it wasn’t something I was capable of,” Anderson says. But there are no hard feelings and she believes good things have to be fought for. “I think that there’s always an obstacle and this was the obstacle – it almost didn’t reach me. So it was meant to be, but I had to fight for it.”
In the film Anderson plays Shelley, a veteran performer in Las Vegas who learns that her show is shutting down after a 30-year run. At age 57, she finds herself auditioning for the first time in years while also trying to reconnect with her daughter, played by Billie Lourd. The cast also features Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka as fellow showgirls and Jamie Lee Curtis – virtually unrecognizable behind orange-ish makeup to replicate a bad tanning job.
Anderson actually saw Curtis change color before her eyes when they first met at the table read. “She just grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye and said, ‘We’re doing this.’ And then she goes, ‘I did this for you. I hope you know that,’” Anderson recalls. “She had just gotten her spray tan. And as I was talking to her, she was deepening in her orange color.”
The role resonated with Anderson for many reasons. While she didn’t envision a career as an actor, Anderson’s journey began when was spotted wearing a Labatt’s beer t-shirt on a Jumbotron at a BC Lions football game. That led her to being a spokesperson for the brand, as well as modeling for Playboy, and joining shows like “Home Improvement” and “Baywatch.”
While she was heralded as one of the greatest sex symbols of all time, there were downsides – including typecasting, and then there was the theft of a private tape of herself and then-husband Tommy Lee. But Anderson has an upbeat outlook on the past: “I’ve gone through a lot publicly and I’m glad that I still have a good sense of humor and not bitter,” she notes. “I always say I have a beautiful, messy life to draw from. All those experiences don’t define me, it’s what I do that’s going to define me.”
In recent years, people have been able to see Anderson through a new lens. That could be due to the Hulu limited series “Pam and Tommy,” which she had no involvement with. But in 2023, Anderson released her documentary “Pamela, a love story” and her memoir “Love, Pamela,” in which she told her own story with unflinching honesty.
Anderson admits there was a time where she “didn’t want to be compared to my past and I didn’t want that always coming up.” But now she notes, “It’s a blessing to be a part of pop culture. It’s a blessing and a little bit of a curse, because you have to overcome that if you want to be an actress and play other characters. I’m hoping ‘The Last Showgirl’ is something completely new that people will see me in and appreciate.”
Asked how it feels to have people realizing they may have misjudged or underestimated her, Anderson says, “Well, I hope people will see this film and really love it because all those feelings I felt over the last 30 years, I was able to put into this film. And it’s nice that people are responding to it.”
Also on this episode of the Awards Circuit Podcast, Clayton Davis speaks to “Dune: Part Two” composer Hans Zimmer. And the Roundtable looks at how “Wicked” might upend the Oscars race.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
