Pamela Anderson is having a moment. And it's about time

CNN

3 days ago

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Pamela Anderson appears to be having a bit of a rebirth at this point in her career.
Confident enough in her own skin to start a bit of a new beauty revolution, critically acclaimed and award-nominated for her role in last year's 'The Last Showgirl' and potentially having a new love interest in her 'Naked Gun' costar Liam Neeson all have friends and fans cheering for Anderson.
She and Neeson have not confirmed that they are romantically involved, but their chemistry while on the promotion tour for their new film has stirred plenty of speculation. Even fellow celebs seem invested, with 'Showgirl' costar Jamie Lee Curtis defending whatever is going on between Anderson and Neeson.
'With all due respect to pop culture, if love has found (its) way into that relationship—God bless them both—leave them the f**k alone,' Curtis told VT in a recently published clip. 'Let them like each other!'
The support for Anderson is long overdue, given her treatment in the past.
She first found fame after being featured on the Jumbotron screen at a 1989 football game, which eventually led to her being selected as the Playboy Playmate of the Month for February 1990 which opened doors for her to begin acting.
But roles including Lisa, 'The Tool Time Girl' on the ABC sitcom 'Home Improvement' and as C.J. Parker on 'Baywatch' set the tone for her career to revolve around her physical traits and not her acting skills.
The focus on her body was intensified after explicit home videos of her and her then-husband, rocker Tommy Lee, were stolen in 1995 and made into a sex tape that was sold.
The story was made into an award-winning 2022 Hulu miniseries titled 'Pam & Tommy' costarring Lily James and Sebastian Stan. Promotional materials for the show featured the tagline, 'The greatest love story ever sold.'
Anderson shared in her 2023 Netflix documentary, 'Pamela, a Love Story' how devastating having her and Lee's intimate moments go public was to her career and their marriage, which ended in 1998.
'If anyone watches it, if anyone buys it, if anyone sells it, it's just pathetic,' she said in the doc. 'You can't put a monetary number on the amount of pain and suffering it caused.'
The Canadian-American actress was vilified for the sex tape and made the butt of many jokes. And while she found acting work here and there, her career went the way of those who are far from major stars, appearing as herself in films like 2006's 'Borat' and on reality shows including 'Dancing with the Stars.'
Yet Anderson never gave up.
The outspoken vegan promoted healthy eating (her cookbook 'I Love You: Recipes from the Heart' was published in 2024) and has written two novels.
She also found her voice through sharing her tale of surviving childhood trauma and the pitfalls of Hollywood in her aforementioned documentary and her 2023 memoir, 'Love, Pamela.'
The doc ends with Anderson's triumphant return to acting, playing Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of 'Chicago.'
'Pamela, a Love Story' not only revived the public's interest in Anderson, but also attracted the attention of filmmaker Gia Coppola, who was casting the lead in her film 'The Last Showgirl' about 'Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run,' according to the film's synopsis.
'I couldn't really envision who was right for the role of Shelly,' Coppola reportedly said during a post screening Q&A. 'I kind of would think of Marilyn Monroe or actors that were no longer present, no one else really felt right.'
Anderson's documentary showed so many parallels between the actress and the character the director wanted to bring to life, Coppola said at the time.
'I just really wanted to collaborate with her,' she added. 'I could see her hunger to kind of express her talents in a dramatic way.'
Anderson's vulnerable performance not only earned her acclaim, but also Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations along with considerable Oscar buzz.
Despite that buzz, Anderson was not ultimately nominated for an Academy Award, something she seemed at peace about.
'I always say the win is in the work,' Anderson told Elle of the Oscars snub. 'I got to do something I really love, and I needed to do that for my soul.'
With how happy she appears now, it's safe to say that Anderson is winning.