Pamela Anderson Deserves Her Flowers For ‘The Last Showgirl’
“Oscar nominee: Pamela Anderson” wasn’t something that we would have anticipated in the 1990s, when she was at the center of celebrity pop culture in America. Anderson was one of the stars of the TV series Baywatch, posed often for Playboy magazine and other print publications, and was the source of countless paparazzi stories. But for a few weeks, it looked like she would, in fact, be nominated for an Academy Award for her stellar performance in The Last Showgirl. It’s a shame that it didn’t happen.
I’m a fan of the Oscars: it’s easy to complain about self-congratulatory award ceremonies, but the Academy Awards puts a spotlight on great films, great performances, and great art in general, from costume design to set design to the music involved in making movies. It also turns people on to movies that they may not have checked out, or even movies that they haven’t heard of.
I haven’t seen all of the films that are represented in the “Actress In A Leading Role” category, but Cynthia Erivo was fantastic in Wicked, Karla Sofia Gascon was incredible in Emilia Perez, and Demi Moore was spectacular in The Substance (I have yet to see Mickey Madison in Anora, and Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here). So I can’t say if Anderson deserves to be on the ballot instead of anyone else.
Moore won the Golden Globe for “Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy,” a category that Gascon, Erivo and Madison were nominated in. Anderson was nominated in a different category at the Golden Globes: “Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.” Fernanda Torres won that award. There have been a lot of incredible performances from women this year.
Moore’s speech at the Golden Globes hit hard: the 62-year old actress noted that it was the first time she ever won an award for her acting. She recalled, “Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a ‘popcorn actress.'” She interpreted that to mean that she wasn’t taken seriously as an actress and was limited in the type of films she could do. “I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged and I believed that.”
Her speech made me wonder: what type of things has Pamela Anderson been told about who she was, and what she could and couldn’t do? Once pop culture tired of her, she was cast aside, occasionally surfacing in award shows and cameo roles, but never given an opportunity to shine. Sure, her ascent to fame didn’t seem like the path to be taken seriously. On the other hand, former underwear model and pop rapper Marky Mark managed to get respectability as an actor: ironically, a turning point for him was playing a porn star in Boogie Nights. Sure, Mark Wahlberg was in his 20s when he started getting “serious” roles. What if Anderson had gotten similar opportunities?
The film’s director Gia Coppola deserves credit for realizing that Anderson, 57, would be the perfect star for The Last Showgirl. The story centers on Anderson’s Shelly Gardner, a 57-year old performer who has been part of Le Razzle Dazzle, a French-style burlesque revue for three decades. We can see that the show’s idea of what’s “sexy” is a bit antiquated today, and it isn’t surprising to anyone — except maybe Shelly — that it’s closing down.
We can also see that Shelly made the show a lot of money, but she probably didn’t see the spoils of that: she lives very modestly and now faces a scary and uncertain future. She also doesn’t relate to current culture; she regards Le Razzle Dazzle as art. The other shows on the strip just seem crass to her. She wouldn’t want to work for them, even if they wanted to hire her.
Anderson was perfectly cast in the role; Shelly isn’t an angel. She’s made some tough decisions and we don’t always agree with them. She wasn’t always there for her daughter Hannah (played by Billie Lourd, the daughter of Carrie Fisher). Her younger castmates, played by Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka, look to her as a mother figure and she’s not always kind to them, either. But Anderson’s performance felt so real: Shelly isn’t perfect, but she tries her best. In that way, she’s relatable; maybe for the first time, America can see itself in Pamela Anderson. Instead of being an avatar, she’s relatable.
It’s surprising to me that the film seemed to be snubbed across the board. Anderson’s co-star, Jamie Lee Curtis, who was also probably called a “popcorn actress” back in the day, also deserved a nod. She plays Annette, Shelly’s best friend who was fired from Le Razzle Dazzle years ago, and now works as a cocktail waitress. It’s another stunning and fearless performance. Given that she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2023’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, it’s kind of shocking that she was snubbed. I’d easily rank her over Ariana Grande for her role in Wicked (really, was that role such a stretch for the singer?) and even the great Isabella Rossellini in Conclave, who has less than eight minutes of screentime in the entire film.
Dave Bautista, as Eddie, the producer of Le Razzle Dazzle, also was excellent, playing against type. Finally, Miley Cyrus’ “Beautiful That Way,” is a subtle and gorgeous song that deserved consideration. I wish it had been nominated; I was surprised to see two songs from Emilia Perez nominated against each other; they’ll probably cancel each other out.
But the film centers around Anderson and she rose to the challenge. Oscar snubs aside, it’s an amazing movie, and it’s worth your time. Will she be offered other “serious” roles? Time will tell. In an interview with the CBC, she said, “It’s never too late to pick up where you left off or start over. It’s just a choice. But also, you need someone else to believe in you, too. So the first thing is you have to believe in yourself before others do, and when you get the opportunity, recognize it and have the nerve to do it.” Hopefully, there will be other directors who take note of her performance in The Last Showgirl; it could be the beginning of one of America’s great second acts.
