Even though Pamela Anderson<\/a> has been a redhead since early autumn, she says, \u201cSometimes I catch myself in the mirror and go, \u2018Oh jeez. Who\u2019s that?\u2019\u201d Even her mom told her, \u201cThis is going to take some getting used to.\u201d<\/p>\n Not to worry, says Anderson, who made the change for her next role, in Love Is Not the Answer, a comedy directed by Michael Cera. \u201cI\u2019ll be blonde in no time or maybe a different color. Who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n She calls her transformation \u201canother form of freedom\u201d \u2014 the latest surprise in a year that was full of them, from her performance in The Last Showgirl and the summer box office hit The Naked Gun to her much written about romance with costar Liam Neeson<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m making the choices in my career and the way I look,\u201d says the 58-year-old mom of sons Brandon, 29, and Dylan, 27, with rocker ex Tommy Lee. \u201cI\u2019m in control of my own life.\u201d\u00a0Soft-spoken and playful, she says, \u201cEven sitting here I\u2019m thinking, has this really happened, or did I dream all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Lipsky<\/a><\/p>\n Pamela Anderson photographed for her PEOPLE cover<\/p><\/div>\n Much has changed in hers since 2023, when she began reclaiming her story in her bestselling memoir Love, Pamela <\/a>and a documentary, Pamela, A Love Story<\/a>. In both, she revealed a woman longing to be seen for herself and not her persona or her love life, notably her tumultuous relationship with Lee. She has yet to watch the documentary in full. \u201cI could watch a little bit of it, and then I\u2019m in tears,\u201d she says. \u201cSome things you move on from.\u201d<\/p>\n She flipped the script again with her decision to go makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week in 2023. \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018Nobody\u2019s even going to notice\u2019 \u2014 and people noticed. [Former French Vogue editor] Carine Roitfeld came up to me. She said, \u2018I like what you\u2019re doing.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018What am I doing?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n It was all part of \u201cpeeling back the layers,\u201d says the star and founder of Sonsie skincare<\/a>. \u201cI look like my Instagram photos every day. That\u2019s where it stemmed from, I have all these young women in my life, my sons\u2019 girlfriends, my nieces. I just want to make sure that they feel confident in who they are . . . and to not worry so much. Believe me, it\u2019s a practice.”<\/p>\n Jeff Lipsky<\/a><\/p>\n Pamela Anderson photographed for her PEOPLE cover<\/p><\/div>\n She\u2019s still surprised by the response. \u201cPeople come to me with their daughters and say, \u2018Thank you so much for doing this,\u2019 \u201d says Anderson, who recently partnered with Biolage<\/a> haircare as their latest ambassador. \u201cI\u2019m glad that it had an impact. Who would have thought I would be that girl?\u201d<\/p>\n After all, her blonde knockout image made her a phenomenon on projects like Baywatch. Still, she notes, there was more to the nineties roles she became famous for. \u201cThere\u2019s always been a vulnerability and a humanness and making mistakes and embracing life, and being in love, and heartbroken, all those things that make you human,” she says.\u00a0 Nonetheless, she calls it \u201cthe ancient past\u201d and adds with a laugh, \u201cThat girl is dead. It feels like a lifetime ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Her nuanced performance in The Last Showgirl as a vulnerable Vegas dancer was a dream come true. It might not have happened had director Gia Coppola not tracked down her son Brandon and given him the script after Anderson\u2019s agent turned it down without telling her. (He\u2019s no longer her agent.)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d never been offered a good script,\u201d she says. \u201cTo feel that feeling of \u2018I\u2019m the only one that could do this\u2019 \u2014 I had that.\u201d<\/p>\n Nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award soon followed. \u201cI never really felt a part of those rooms,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I always felt a little insecure meeting other actors thinking . . . I\u2019m capable of so much more.\u201d She made that clear this summer with her turn in the Tennessee Williams play Casino Real at the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival. Says director Dustin Wills, “Pam has a remarkable work ethic paired with an openness and curiosity…and on top of all that, she knows how to land a joke!”<\/p>\n She displayed her gift for over-the-top comedy in The Naked Gun remake opposite Neeson, 73. The two made headlines with news of their surprise romance \u2014 greeted with skepticism by some. Anderson is ready to set the record straight, sharing her memories of their private connection for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming\u201d she says. The two spent an \u201cintimate week\u201d together at his home in upstate New York. \u201cI had my own room,\u201d she notes. \u201cOur assistants both came; even family stopped by.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Lipsky<\/a><\/p>\n Pamela Anderson photographed for her PEOPLE cover<\/p><\/div>\n The pair \u201cwent to dinner at a tiny French restaurant where he introduced me as the \u2018future Mrs. Neeson,\u2019 \u201d she continues. They spent time in his garden, where, she says, “I tended to a rosebush overgrown with mint \u2026 I was happy to help, and he appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n Following what she calls their \u201clost week\u201d\u2014during which Neeson chased off a bear from the breakfast window in his bathrobe\u2014\u201cwe went our separate ways to work on other films.\u201d They reconnected while promoting The Naked Gun. \u201cWe were having fun,\u201d she says, calling their connection \u201ca little bit like a Nancy Meyers film. I always was laughing when people thought, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s a publicity stunt.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018A publicity stunt? This is real. We have real feelings.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI adore Liam,\u201d she adds, \u201cbut we are better friends, in full honesty. He is such a supporter of this new trajectory in my career and kindly tells me he is very proud of me. I\u2019m sure we will always be in each other\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Lipsky<\/a><\/p>\n Pamela Anderson photographed for her PEOPLE cover<\/p><\/div>\n Now, she and her sons have started a production company and are rebooting 1996\u2019s cult classic Barb Wire into a new TV series. \u201cI\u2019m really excited to take that back,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of redemption.\u201d While there are \u201cno plans\u201d for her to appear onscreen, she adds, \u201cYou never know. They talk me into anything.\u201d And she beams when she talks about her sons: \u201cThe most important thing to me was my family, and my boys turned out great.\u201d<\/p>\n Anderson, who shares her musings on self discovery in her weekly Substack, The Open Journal,<\/a> has more exciting new roles ahead, including playing the (gray-haired!) mom of a dysfunctional family in the upcoming Rosebush Pruning with Elle Fanning<\/a> and Callum Turner. \u201cLet\u2019s just hope this is just the beginning,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m ready for action and have this whole new inspiration and love of this industry\u2014and life!\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a rebel move to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n This article was written independently by PEOPLE\u2019s editorial team and meets our editorial standards. Biolage is a paid advertising partner with PEOPLE.<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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