The movie Pamela Anderson refused to watch for 27 years: “I could stomach it that way”
It has taken decades for Pamela Anderson to be taken seriously. Starting her career as a Playboy model, racking up more covers than any other Playmate in the history of the nudie mag, Anderson then became a cast member on the hardly-revered Baywatch.
It might have run for years, but it wasn’t the height of TV sophistication, and paired with a sex tape scandal involving her then-husband Tommy Lee, Anderson was subject to much scrutiny and objectification. I mean, she was seen as little more than a sex object, all plastic breasts and blonde hair.
Reality shows, books, and various appearances across film and even pantomime saw Anderson constantly booked and busy during the coming years, but again, nothing she did was all that acclaimed. Her movies during this time included the kinds of titles you would be embarrassed to simply own a copy of, like Pauly Shore Is Dead, Superhero Movie, Blonde and Blonder, and Scary Movie 3, often opting for cheesy parodies or cameo roles. She certainly knew how to use her own star power to make a quick cheque.
Only now, decades on from her first Playboy shoot, has she found unexpected acclaim with a role in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, which benefits from the meta-casting of Anderson as an ageing performer clinging onto success. A role in The Naked Gun followed, which was praised by critics, too. Sometimes it just takes a while for someone’s true talent to be recognised.
I guess it didn’t help that Anderson tried to turn in a leading performance in the 1996 film Barb Wire, which was widely panned. It was proof that the model probably wasn’t cut out for the silver screen just yet, and it seems like she can agree – it took her 27 years to actually sit down and watch it.
Based on the comic book character of the same name, Barb Wire saw Anderson don heels and a corset as she engaged in combat, taking the concept of a sexy superhero to new heights. There was never going to be a chance in hell that this film would be taken seriously. And of course it wasn’t – the film was panned, so much so that Anderson refused to watch it.
“I look back, and I think, you know, even those characters, CJ, Barb Wire, even Vallery Irons on VIP, they’re Halloween costumes. I mean, because they’re not just about the costumes, it’s what’s in the costume,” she told TimesRadio.
Adding, “There’s a lot of heart in all of those roles, and it may not have been, you know, thespian in any way, but also, I was 27 years old when I did Barb Wire, and I didn’t see it until 27 years later, and I watched it in French with English subtitles… I could stomach it that way.”
Clearly, the only way for Anderson to watch her iconic yet critically derided role was without the sound of her voice present. It’s certainly not the finest thing Anderson has ever made, but if she hadn’t led the career she has had, then she might not have landed such a defining role as The Last Showgirl years later, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Sometimes, you just have to accept that you’ve made some bad pieces of art – haven’t we all? – and then continue moving forward.
