Pamela Anderson embraces acting acclaim and eyes a future on stage

After decades in the spotlight, Pamela Anderson finally feels like an actress. The 57-year-old, who rose to fame as CJ Parker in Baywatch, is receiving critical praise for her performance in The Last Showgirl, a film by Gia Coppola. Now, she’s setting her sights on theatre.

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Anderson, once a Playboy icon and pop culture sensation, admitted that the role caught her by surprise. “I thought my acting career was over,” she shared during a recent visit to Paris. “Now I finally feel like an actress, but I wasn’t sure before—I was just doing my best.”

A career-defining performance

Critics have hailed Anderson’s turn as a fading Las Vegas showgirl, with The New York Times calling her “dazzling” and The Guardian stating she had “single-handedly redefined how she is viewed as an actor.” Coppola, granddaughter of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, cast Anderson after watching her Netflix documentary Pamela: A Love Story.

Anderson’s resurgence echoes that of fellow 1990s star Demi Moore, whose acclaimed role in The Substance last year challenged Hollywood’s treatment of older women. With a Golden Globe nomination under her belt, Anderson now feels emboldened to chase new ambitions.

“Being part of pop culture can be a curse because you become famous for one thing,” she reflected. “But I’ve always loved cinema, I’ve always loved theatre. I hope to do a Tennessee Williams play one day. Why not? My goal is to keep surprising people.”

A life of reinvention

Anderson’s personal life has been as eventful as her career. Married at least six times—including twice to the same person—one of her unions lasted just 12 days. But she has no regrets. “I appreciate my wild and messy life because I have so much to draw from. It definitely wasn’t boring—hard at times, silly at times, ridiculous at times—but that’s how you’re supposed to live.”

 

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Now residing on Vancouver Island, where she grew up, Anderson has embraced a quieter lifestyle, experimenting with plant-based cooking and making pickles. She launched her own TV show, Pamela’s Cooking with Love, and released a cookbook last year.

Beyond acting and cooking, she remains a vocal advocate for animal rights and has found success as an author. Her 2023 memoir laid bare her tumultuous upbringing and childhood trauma, a project she insisted on writing herself despite industry doubts. “I can write, you stupid shit, give me some credit,” she quipped to The Times.

Despite her latest successes, Anderson isn’t planning too far ahead. “I don’t know what’s next,” she admitted. “But I’m okay with living in the mystery.”

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