Pamela Anderson recently watched 鈥淏arb Wire鈥� for the very first time.
The B.C.-born actor says her son had asked if she鈥檇 ever seen the 1996 dystopian action flick 鈥� her first starring role in a movie that was a box-office and critical flop.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楴o, I鈥檝e actually never seen it.鈥� So I did and I was like, 鈥極h my God.' It was stuck in French with English subtitles. I said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a good way to watch it.鈥� I could see it, but I couldn鈥檛 really hear me,鈥� she laughs.
Anderson now sees the big-screen bust as a reminder of how much life can change.
鈥淚 was 27 years old when I did that film, and 27 years later, I did 鈥楾he Last Showgirl.鈥� So a lot of time can pass and you just never know what's going to happen,鈥� says Anderson, now 57.
鈥淚t's never too late to just start over or pick up where you left off. It's really a fascinating life.鈥�
Rocking pink-rimmed glasses on a Zoom call from her home in Ladysmith, B.C., Anderson is all smiles, her laughter bubbling through the screen. She's got a rosy outlook on the road ahead, with her new Flavour Network show, "Pamela鈥檚 Cooking With Love," premiering Monday, and a slate of films on the horizon.
Anderson says she's been working with an acting coach and chasing the types of projects she's always dreamed of.
"I knew I had more to give. I didn't know if I'd ever get the opportunity because sometimes it's a blessing and a curse to be part of pop culture. It's a blessing, but... you start at a deficit. You've got to convince people you're human."
Anderson shot to fame in the late 鈥�80s as a Playboy pin-up before becoming a 鈥�90s TV icon on 鈥淏aywatch.鈥� But a rocky acting career and relentless tabloid scrutiny over her relationship with M枚tley Cr眉e鈥檚 Tommy Lee led her to step away from the spotlight and focus on animal rights activism.
After experiencing a career renaissance last year with her Golden Globes-nominated role in 鈥淭he Last Showgirl,鈥� Anderson has been booked and busy. She has upcoming roles in the 鈥淣aked Gun鈥� reboot and drama thriller 鈥淩osebush Pruning,鈥� as well as 鈥渇our projects percolating" that include "things people would not expect, which is exciting and scary at the same time."
鈥淚 hope people don't get sick of me, that's all. There's a lot going on,鈥� she laughs.
鈥淏ut I am a hard worker and I think that's my Canadian roots showing.鈥�
Anderson鈥檚 cooking show sees her invite high-profile chefs including Andy Baraghani and Gregory Gourdet to her Ladysmith home, where they prepare plant-based meals for friends and family.
鈥淚've always wanted to do a plant-based cooking show, but I was a little bit ahead of my time 鈥� a couple decades ago, people just thought I was crazy,鈥� she says.
鈥淏ut people always think I'm a little crazy. I'm always breaking new ground. You鈥檝e got to be a rebel.鈥�
It鈥檚 her second show produced by Corus Entertainment after Home Network鈥檚 鈥淧amela鈥檚 Garden of Eden,鈥� which follows her as she renovates her Vancouver Island property that had belonged to her grandparents.
Anderson says she left L.A. and moved to the remote area during the pandemic in order to reconnect with her roots and live a quieter life.
She says "The Last Showgirl鈥� offer 鈥渃ame out of nowhere.鈥� Director Gia Coppola specifically had Anderson in mind for the role about a veteran Las Vegas dancer searching for her next chapter after her long-running show suddenly closes.
Anderson says she plans to continue living in Ladysmith and tending to her garden, as it鈥檚 鈥渁 great grounding force鈥� for her. However, since starring in Coppola鈥檚 film, she's been grinding 鈥渘on-stop.鈥�
鈥淚'm a little antsy because I've been working so hard lately. I'm trying to relax a little bit right now. I kind of am running in circles, like, what's next? What am I going to do?鈥�
She鈥檒l take a comedic turn in 鈥淭he Naked Gun.鈥� Helmed by The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, the film also stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. 鈥� the son of Leslie Nielsen鈥檚 bumbling detective from the original late-'80s series.
鈥淚t was so funny. Liam is so funny, and we fell madly in love. We were just having the best time and it was incredible. It was hard to keep a straight face,鈥� she says.
Anderson will then step back into drama with Karim A茂nouz鈥檚 "Rosebush Pruning," which she describes as 鈥渁nother art house film festival movie.鈥� Starring Riley Keough, Callum Turner and Elle Fanning, the film is an adaptation of Marco Bellocchio鈥檚 1965 debut 鈥淔ists in the Pocket,鈥� about a young man with epilepsy who plans to murder his dysfunctional family.
She says the biggest draw for her was A茂nouz, a Brazilian director who also helmed the 2019 drama 鈥淭he Invisible Life of Eur铆dice Gusm茫o.鈥�
鈥淚 love his films and I love his way of shooting.鈥�
Anderson says stepping back into the spotlight has come with its challenges, especially when being interviewed by tabloid-leaning media outlets.
鈥淭hey're still not ready to see me in this dramatic role. They're kind of stuck in the 鈥�90s and I feel like I have to start from scratch explaining myself,鈥� she says.
But in the end, she's happy to have a packed calendar again.
鈥淚 don't want to ever take anything for granted because it鈥檚 so healing to work really hard. It鈥檚 the best kind of therapy,鈥� she says.
鈥淚 always say you can talk to your best friend all day long or go to therapy, but making an art project is a really healing experience. You find out what you're made of and what you need to address. It really is wild. Life-changing.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2025.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
