Pamela Anderson is opening up about her role as Shelly in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl (2024). After three decades on stage, the film follows the veteran Vegas showgirl (Anderson) as she faces an uncertain future when her long-running show Le Razzle Dazzle suddenly comes to an end. Directed by Coppola (Palo Alto), the film dives into Shelly’s path of motherhood and rediscovery as an era of elaborately sequined and bright-feathered costumes quietly falls to the wayside of the increasingly commercialized City of Sin.
In an interview with Deadline, Pamela Anderson discussed how her upbringing mirrored Shelly’s life as an impassioned performer and mother. The Last Showgirl is a neon-lit exploration of familial bonds, set against the backdrop of a dying Las Vegas showbiz culture. As she reexamines her life, Shelly struggles to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Hannah (played by Billie Lourd), which prompts Anderson to reflect on her own tumultuous life as a performer. Here’s what she had to say:
I couldn’t have played this character if I didn’t have the life I had
. And I couldn’t even look back in hindsight and think these things I may have done differently if I didn’t have the life experience to get me to this place where I feel that way. People sometimes say, why did you make this choice? Why did you make that? So we’re all doing the best we can in the moment and with the tools that we have and the experience that we have, and we’re all fighting in this invisible bubble.And even having children. That really resonated with me because having children in this business and having children and working, a working mom and children,
we all carry this guilt and we’re all going to beg for forgiveness to our adult children
. And I’ve had that experience too. So that scene with Billie Lourd [who plays Shelly’s daughter] was cathartic in some ways, and she brought her own experience, her grandmother being Debbie Reynolds and her mother being Carrie Fisher. So when we met in that room, it was a face-off and it was real.
What Pamela Anderson’s Role In The Last Showgirl Means
From Glamour To Grit: The Early Playboy Bunny’s Expanding Range As An Actor
Pamela Anderson’s portrayal of Shelly in The Last Showgirl marks a significant shift in her acting career, allowing her to break free from past typecasts. Known globally as a sex symbol, Anderson rose to fame as a Playboy centerfold. She became the men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine’s most recognizable figure, appearing on more Playboy covers than any other model. After Anderson’s appearance in Tim Allen’s Home Improvement, she was able to break through as a notable actor with her role as C.J. Parker on Baywatch, cementing her status as a cultural icon of the 1990s.
Anderson’s recent work demonstrates her desire to reclaim her public image and explore more nuanced roles about the lives of women. “I’ve been sexualized and objectified in my life and career,” she states, particularly after the career impact of her and Tommy Lee’s infamous sex tape, “but I don’t want to be defined by what has been done to me.”
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In 2022, Anderson made waves with her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, earning praise for her performance and showcasing her versatility as an actor, singer, and dancer. Her role as Shelly in The Last Showgirl builds on this momentum, offering a layered portrayal of a character grappling with the complexities of motherhood and the tolls of a performer in a dying industry.
“It’s a crowning moment for Anderson, deservedly so,” Screen Rant‘s Graeme Guttman writes in a review for The Last Showgirl. Through Shelly, Anderson channels her personal history and career evolution, freeing herself from the narrow mold the entertainment industry constantly shoves women into. By drawing on her experience as a mother of her own two sons, and the consequences of a highly sexualized public image, Anderson delivers an emotionally resonant performance that challenges the perceptions of her talent in a role that requires melodramatic depth and intense choreography.
Our Take On Anderson In The Last Showgirl
A Role That Redefines Anderson’s Legacy In Hollywood
Pamela Anderson’s turn in The Last Showgirl is a powerful instance of how life experience can elevate a performance. By embracing a role so deeply tied to the struggles she’s faced in the entertainment industry, Anderson demonstrates remarkable growth as an actress. Her collaboration with Gia Coppola brings an authenticity to the film that resonates with audiences, particularly in the heartfelt mother-daughter dynamic with Billie Lourd, who similarly brings her own experience as the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher.
Anderson’s journey—from her early days as a Playboy icon to her reinvention on Broadway and now her dramatic role in The Last Showgirl—is a testament to her resilience and adaptability. As Shelly, Anderson not only defies the oppressive structures of her past but also brings an emotional depth that enriches Coppola’s poignant storytelling of a bygone era. With The Last Showgirl, Anderson solidifies her place in a new chapter of her career, proving she has more and more to offer beyond what many have expected of her.
Source: Deadline
The Last Showgirl follows Hannah, a seasoned performer coping with the end of her dance show career after thirty-five years. As she seeks a new purpose, she also works to strengthen the bond with her estranged daughter.
- Director
- Gia Coppola
- Release Date
- September 6, 2024
- Writers
- Kate Gersten
- Character(s)
- Hannah , Uncredited , Marianne
- Runtime
- 85 Minutes