Pamela Anderson believes she suffered from depression “for a couple of decades.”
Anderson, 57, revealed the news during an interview at the Zurich Film Festival, published by Variety on Saturday, October 5. The former Baywatch star attended the Switzerland event to promote her new film, The Last Showgirl, created by Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter Gia Coppola, and accept the festival’s prestigious Golden Eye Award.
Reflecting on how her career has evolved over the years, Anderson, who rose to fame as Casey Jean “C.J.” Parker in Baywatch, told the outlet, “I never thought I would be on stage, receiving an award like that. I just want to keep working. I am excited to do more.”
The actress continued, “I look at it now and it feels like I went from Baywatch to Broadway. I don’t know what happened in between, it’s all a big blur. I am just happy to be here, in this moment, because I think I have had depression for a couple of decades.”
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Anderson added that she has enjoyed returning to the spotlight after the release of the 2023 documentary, Pamela, a Love Story. “Ryan [White] made that doc and that’s how Gia saw me. I always knew I was capable of more,” she said. “It’s great to be a part of pop culture, but it’s a blessing and a curse. People fall in love with you because of a bathing suit. It has taken a long time, but I am here.”
In The Last Showgirl, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, Anderson portrays a veteran dancer who must rethink her life when the long-running show she’s been a part of suddenly shuts down. Her performance has received wide-spread critical acclaim.
Anderson, who also portrayed Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway in 2022, added that her career path ultimately led her to the starring role in The Last Showgirl. “I don’t think I could have played this [The Last Showgirl] character if I wouldn’t have the life that I had, so it was worth it,” Anderson explained. “If I can continue working and using these struggles and challenges… I’ll feel blessed.”
Anderson has come a long way since her Baywatch days, which coincided with a semi-regular role in Home Improvement, alongside Tim Allen, between 1991 and 1997. She starred in the beach-based drama series from 1992 to 1997.
Once renowned for her glossy good looks, and a signature smokey eye and lip-lined pout, Anderson revealed in an August 2023 interview with Elle that she is done with makeup altogether. The revelation came after the death of her makeup artist, Alexis Vogel.
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“I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup,” Anderson told the publication before adding that she never guessed she would become a global style icon. “When I was younger, I never thought that I would be in any campaigns, especially really recognizable ones,” she said. “I always felt like I was an outsider, a little bit rebellious.”
In The Last Showgirl, Anderson remains completely bare-faced. She told Variety, “The girls [makeup team] wanted to do the ‘no-makeup’ makeup look. They asked, ‘No contour, no lip gloss, nothing?!’ [and] Gia was like, ‘Well, Pam is not wearing any.’ I really wanted people to see me and it was a perfect opportunity to just take it all away. Working with a bare face is so vulnerable.”
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