Pamela Anderson, 59, says she ‘pigeonholed’ herself early in her career

• Pamela Anderson said her career resurgence has allowed her to pursue the creative work she’s long wanted to do.
• “I thought, ‘I have so much more to give but I’ve pigeonholed myself,’” she said of her early days.
• At this stage of her life, she said she’s found peace in nature and in embracing her authentic self.

Pamela Anderson said she is making the most of her second act in Hollywood.

In an interview for Vogue Australia‘s August cover, the actor said she feels “really fortunate” that “incredible directors” with indie backgrounds want to work with her.

“I just feel so lucky, because it has been an interesting trajectory from Broadway and ‘The Last Showgirl.’ I don’t take for granted that I get to do this again,” Anderson, 59, said.

After making her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in “Chicago” in 2022, which earned her a Playbill Award, Anderson received a Golden Globe nomination in 2025 for her performance in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl.”

Reflecting on her career resurgence, Anderson said she isn’t trying to do every project that comes her way but wants to make the most of the opportunities she does pursue.

“I mean, who knows, it could end tomorrow,” she said.

The actor added that this new chapter has given her the chance to pursue the kind of creative work she’s long wanted to do.

“It’s a shame I just didn’t feel like I realized my potential,” she said.

Anderson rose to fame in the early 1990s after being discovered at a Canadian football game and landing a role on “Baywatch.”

Her whirlwind marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and the theft and release of their private sex tape made her a tabloid fixture for years.

“I thought, ‘I have so much more to give but I’ve pigeonholed myself,’” she said of her early days. “Then, of course, media and different things really steer your life and, you know, things happen in your life. It really can rip a career out of your hands.”

But after decades of public scrutiny, Anderson said she’s found comfort in slowing down.

“I went through it all and I came out the other end. I’ve done big make-up looks, I’ve done big clothing looks, hair, big fuzzy hats, corsets, rock stars. I don’t know. I feel like I’ve had the big romantic life. I’ve had a lot of wildness. And I’ve found that, right now, for me, just being in nature and being myself is a wild move,” she said.

Anderson isn’t the only celebrity to speak about embracing an unexpected second act in Hollywood.

In a 2023 interview with Backstage, Ke Huy Quan said he decided to pursue acting again after years of limited opportunities because he felt he owed it to himself to try again.

“What drove me to give voice to this dream, to step in front of the camera again not knowing what the outcome was going to be, was that fear of regret,” he said. “I don’t want to live my life with regrets.”

Similarly, before “The Substance” reignited her career, Demi Moore said she had begun questioning where she fit in Hollywood.

“I really did hit a point where I started to wonder, not like, ‘Is this over?’ But, ‘Is this actually complete? Have I done what I was supposed to do in this?’” Moore said in a 2024 interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast.

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