Pamela Anderson Reacts to Oscar Snub forThe Last Showgirl: It Was 'Not Something I Ever Expected'

Mar. 15, 2025

Pamela Anderson.Photo:TheStewartofNY/GC Images

TheStewartofNY/GC Images

AsBowen YangandRachel Sennottannounced the nominations for the 97th Academy Awards on Thursday morning, the actress’ name was missing from the list — despite the critical praise and prior nominations she had amassed for her leading role inThe Last Showgirl. But Anderson didn’t sweat the snub.

“Oh my gosh, it’s not something I ever expected. Doing the work is the win,” thestar told ELLEafter the announcement. “That’s what I like to do, and I think we can lose sight of that sometimes in this whole crazy awards season, but it’s nice to be recognized, and it’s all a bonus.”

InThe Last Showgirl, Anderson, 57, starred opposite recent Oscar winnerJamie Lee Curtis, playing an aging Las Vegas performer whose future becomes uncertain when she learns that her French-style revue is closing after three decades. The film marked a triumphant critical breakthrough for Anderson, who rose to stardom as a bombshell blonde lifeguard in the ’90s seriesBaywatchbut had long been excluded from awards conversations.

She had even garnered several promising nods earlier in the awards season — nabbing nominations at theSAG Awardsand theGolden Globes— making her Oscar miss all the more surprising.

Pamela Anderson.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

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Her most recent snub aside, Anderson has said that the success of the film has an additional resonance to her in the wake of the 2022 Hulu seriesPam & Tommyseries, which dramatized her relationship withex-husbandTommy Leeand their 1995 scandal surrounding astolen homemade sex tape.

During anappearance on SiriusXM’sAndy Cohen Live, the actress and activist said that she “didn’t have any involvement” in the production of the series — calling it “strange” and “hurtful.”

“I mean, it’s just one of those things. It happened and now I’m here, and so this is the best payback,” Anderson said of herLast Showgirlsuccess. “I’m being seen and recognized for my work and not these tawdry moments.”

Pamela Anderson.Andrew Chin/Getty

Andrew Chin/Getty

“I think she is a transcendent creature,” said the actress on the red carpet. “I love the way she is walking through the B.S. of show business and saying, ‘I do not need to play your game.’ And I respect her for it so deeply.”

source: people.com