Pamela Anderson: The Remarkable Ms. Anderson

Ms. Anderson, you’ve received a lot of recognition these past few months for your work. How does that feel?

For a long time I felt very proud to be part of pop culture, but being in a red bathing suit was also confining. To be able to break free a little of that image was a challenge and took time. So here we are. I get to try new things, and I’m so happy that I get the opportunity to have this. But I don’t really feel like this a second chance. To me, this feels like the beginning of my career.

Would you have liked this moment to come earlier?

It would be a waste of time to think about that, because I’m here now. But if I think about it, if this had happened earlier, say twenty years ago, you also have to remember: my kids were still growing up, I wouldn’t have had the same focus – and I was in a tumultuous relationship. I am free now. So I have everything to give and I’m glad that I put so much effort into my life. It was colorful, it was an unconventional way to become an actress, and even though I’m fifty-eight years old now, I feel as if I have just begun.

So you’re more tied to the present than the past?

Yes.

How do you feel looking back on your career over the
past decades?

I was a very imaginative child. I had lots of dreams, but no idea how acting worked. Later I would often sit in the Samuel French Bookshop in L.A. reading plays and attended acting classes, but then I got married and got caught up in all of that. Gosh, decades flew by. I don’t even know what happened between Baywatch and Broadway. I know I raised two kids and they turned out okay. But the rest of it was madness and chaos – and so I’m really grateful to be here today. It all started with a job on the beach. And now I’m really excited about applying myself and seeing what I’m made of, to really see if I can do this.

What do you do when an old episode of Baywatch comes
on TV?

It doesn’t really happen to me. I don’t watch too much tele-vision. But I have seen little clips here and there. It’s funny, everything happened at the right time and the right place. Some things were harder than others. But that was a different time, and now I’m in a new chapter of my life.

You tend to show yourself in public with little or no makeup these days. How do you feel about that? 

It’s funny to even talk about it. The whole subject feels so silly. I didn’t stop wearing makeup for the attention. I did it for myself. But it has resonated with many women. I’ve reached a certain age, and that’s okay. I’m not going to chase youth. That’s a race I won’t win. 

What are your views on women’s rights? 

I believe all people are equal. It seems so odd that we even have to point that out. The news distorts things so much and creates such controversy, but really all we can do now is to be the best we can be – read, be careful not to pollute our own thoughts by those of others. Just be. 

Is there anything in your career that you regret? 

I regret that I (...)

→ Read the entire interview in the new
rampstyle #36 »Beyond the Sea«!