Top Stories This Week

Related Posts

Pamela Anderson thinks she ‘had depression for a couple of decades’ after ‘Baywatch’

Pamela Anderson opened up about how the lows in her career affected her mental health.

The 57-year-old actress attended the Zurich Film Festival to accept the Golden Eye Award and promote her new movie, “The Last Showgirl,” and admitted that she was depressed for a while after her role in “Baywatch” ended in the 1990s.

“I never thought I would be on stage, receiving an award like that,” Anderson told Variety at the festival in an interview published Saturday.

Pamela Anderson at the 20th Zurich Film Festival. Getty Images for ZFF

“I just want to keep working. I am excited to do more,” she 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.”

Anderson added, “I am just happy to be here, in this moment, because I think I have had depression for a couple of decades.”

The blonde bombshell rose to fame from her role as C.J. Parker on “Baywatch” that lasted from 1992 to 1997.

Pamela Anderson on “Baywatch.”
Nicole Eggert, David Hasselhoff, Alexandra Paul, David Charvet, Pamela Anderson on “Baywatch.” Courtesy Everett Collection

Her career slowed after the series ended and she even moved back to her native Canada during a dark time in her life.

“A few years back, I kind of gave up at some point and needed a change,” she told Better Homes & Gardens in August. “I was not in a good space when I moved back to Canada.”

“I don’t know what happened over the last few decades, but I feel now so far removed from the image of who I was,” Anderson also said in the interview. “I felt very sad and lonely.”

Pamela Anderson at the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival on September 28. Jesus Briones/GTRES/Shutterstock
Pamela Anderson at the 2024 Zurich Film Festival. Getty Images

However, Anderson enjoyed a career resurgence starting when she made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in “Chicago” in 2022.

Then, Anderson starred in her 2023 Netflix documentary “Pamela, A Love Story” directed by Ryan White.

As Anderson explained in Zurich, the emotional and inspiring project led to her being cast in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl.”

Pamela Anderson speaks at the Zurich Film Festival on Oct. 5. Getty Images for ZFF
Pamela Anderson and her “The Last Showgirl” director Gia Coppola. Getty Images

“Ryan made that doc and that’s how Gia saw me,” she told Variety at the film festival. “I always knew I was capable of more.”

“It’s great to be a part of pop culture, but it’s a blessing and a curse,” the “Home Improvement” star added. “People fall in love with you because of a bathing suit. It has taken a long time, but I am here.”

Anderson’s new movie premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last month. She plays a Las Vegas revue dancer who’s about to be out of a job and has to reevaluate her whole life.

“The Last Showgirls” stars Billie Lourd, Kiernan Shipka, Pamela Anderson, Brenda Song and Jamie Lee Curtis at TIFF. Getty Images for IMDb

The Post’s Johnny Oleksinski gave the film three out of four stars and praised Anderson’s “heartbreaking” performance in her “red-hot second act.”

“I don’t think I could have played this character if I wouldn’t have the life that I had, so it was worth it,” the former “Playboy” model told Variety.

“If I can continue working and using these struggles and challenges… I’ll feel blessed,” she added.

Stay informed with diverse insights directly in your inbox. Subscribe to our email updates now to never miss out on the latest perspectives and discussions. No membership, just enlightenment.