Pamela Anderson Reveals the Movie She Avoided Watching for 27 Years

For many years, Pamela Anderson was the subject of intense public scrutiny and constant objectification. While Baywatch was a massive global success, it didn’t exactly represent the pinnacle of television prestige, and Anderson’s personal life—specifically a highly publicized scandal involving her then-husband Tommy Lee—often overshadowed her professional efforts.

For decades, the media reduced her to a set of physical traits, viewing her more as a blonde archetype than a serious performer. In the years that followed, Anderson remained a constant presence in the industry, though her choices were frequently geared toward commercial viability rather than critical acclaim.

She appeared in various reality programs, published books, and took on roles in films that were often dismissed as cheesy parodies. Titles like Scary Movie 3, Superhero Movie, and Blonde and Blonder saw her leaning into her own celebrity status to secure a paycheck, but they did little to change the public’s perception of her acting abilities.

It has taken nearly thirty years since she first graced the pages of Playboy for Anderson to finally receive the artistic recognition she deserved. This career renaissance was sparked by her meta-role in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, where she played an aging Vegas performer struggling to maintain her relevance.

This was followed by a surprisingly well-received turn in the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun, proving that with the right material, her comedic timing and vulnerability were formidable assets. Her early attempts at leading a film were not nearly as successful. The 1996 action flick Barb Wire was famously panned by critics, serving as a harsh reminder that she wasn’t quite ready for the silver screen.

Anderson seems to agree with the consensus, as it took her nearly three decades to actually sit down and watch the movie. In the film, she played a leather-clad, corset-wearing bounty hunter—a role that leaned so heavily into “sexy superhero” tropes that it was almost impossible for audiences to take the narrative seriously.

Reflecting on her past, Anderson now views her most famous characters, including C.J. Parker and Barb Wire, as little more than Halloween costumes. She recently explained that while those roles were defined by their outward appearance, she believes there was a lot of heart behind the outfits.

She admitted that she wasn’t approaching them from a strictly “thespian” perspective at the time, but she still finds value in the emotional honesty she brought to those 20-something performances. When she finally did decide to view Barb Wire for the first time, she had to find a creative way to get through it.

She revealed that she watched the film in French with English subtitles, explaining that she could stomach it that way because it distanced her from the sound of her own voice. While it wasn’t a masterpiece, those early career missteps arguably paved the way for her current success, including her recent Golden Globe nomination for The Last Showgirl.

As of this year, Anderson’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down. She was a highlight of the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in January, where she appeared as a presenter alongside Miley Cyrus.

She was recently making waves at the Berlin International Film Festival while promoting her latest project, Rosebush Pruning. The film, a psychological thriller, sees her starring alongside an elite cast including Josh O’Connor, Elle Fanning, and Riley Keough.

Beyond the red carpet, Anderson is busy with a diverse slate of upcoming films, including Michael Cera’s directorial debut, Love Is Not the Answer, co-starring Jamie Dornan and Steve Coogan. She is also focusing on her personal business ventures, such as her natural skincare line, Sonsie, and her ongoing advocacy for animal rights.

As she embraces a more minimalist, “makeup-free” lifestyle at her farmhouse on Vancouver Island, it is clear that she has moved past the era of the costume and into a period of genuine, hard-won authenticity.

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