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The first time Pamela Anderson flew to Los Angeles, she was reading Shirley MacLaine\u2019s autobiography Out on a Limb<\/em>. Four decades later, Anderson, 59, considers herself lucky to call MacLaine a new friend. In fact, during a recent breakfast date, the Hollywood legend shared some advice: \u201cPlay older! It\u2019s so much more fun.\u201d<\/p>\nAnderson spent the majority of her career pigeonholed as a sex symbol, from her days on the cover of Playboy<\/em> through her tenure on Baywatch<\/em>. But the actress is undergoing something of an acting renaissance, kicked off by her critically acclaimed turn as Roxie Hart in the 2022 production of Chicago <\/em>on Broadway. Anderson has since starred in the devastating drama The Last Showgirl <\/em>(2024) alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and a hilarious reboot of The Naked Gun<\/em> (2025) with Liam Neeson. For her upcoming roles, Anderson took MacLaine\u2019s advice.<\/p>\nOn July 24, Anderson appears in Karim A\u00efnouz\u2019s black tragicomedy Rosebush Pruning<\/em> as The Mother, a matriarch of a twisted, wealthy family. Her role is small, but she steals nearly every scene she\u2019s in with her exquisite comedic timing (also displayed in The Naked Gun<\/em>). It would spoil too much to dive into her role, but suffice it to say, she shines among a star-studded cast, including Callum Turner, Elle Fanning, Riley Keough, Lukas Gage, and Jamie Bell.<\/p>\nHarper\u2019s Bazaar<\/em>\u2019s questionnaire series \u201cFirst, Now, Next\u201d dives into the past, present, and future of some of our favorite creatives, spotlighting the moments and people that have influenced them. We touched base with Anderson about her love of Federico Fellini, her dream project, how Will Ferrell made her laugh more than ever before when she hosted Saturday Night Live<\/em>, and her role in Michael Cera\u2019s forthcoming directorial debut Love Is Not the Answer<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n
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JOHN HOADE<\/span><\/figcaption>Pamela Anderson as The Mother in Rosebush Pruning<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat\u2019s the first movie that cracked something open in you?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAll the Federico Fellini films: 8\u00bd<\/em> and Nights of Cabiria.<\/em> I was just so enthralled with anything Fellini or anything Ingrid Bergman. People used to make fun of me because I loved films with subtitles and arthouse movie theaters. I just never knew what I was walking into or what I was going to see, which I thought was a little bit fun.<\/p>\nWho was your first true friend in the film industry? <\/strong><\/h2>\nI came to Los Angeles, and I didn\u2019t know anybody. I obviously befriended Hugh Hefner and Jon Peters. These were my friends when I first landed in Los Angeles. I had no idea about how magnificent and wild these people were. It was overwhelming\u2014a little out of my depth. It was a nice entry into this world. I felt very protected. I had never experienced it at that level\u2014there would be people always talking about money and making movies. They were both quite notorious, so I figured the sky\u2019s the limit.<\/p>\n
Have you had a failure that ended up changing your career?<\/strong><\/h2>\nI made plenty of mistakes, but that\u2019s all good material for your work. I was winging it, and I didn\u2019t have any formula to follow. I never even realized in the moment how popular shows were or that I wasn\u2019t a world traveler. I don\u2019t know if anything was a mistake, but when you do become very famous for not a lot, your talents and things that you could really achieve get washed over. I didn\u2019t get a chance to really explore anything that I felt would really challenge me until this chapter in my life. It\u2019s been really exciting to start over. I feel like a little kid.<\/p>\n
What was the first project that made you feel challenged?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen I played Roxie in Chicago <\/em>on Broadway. I was determined to play her with vulnerability, because I really related to her in a lot of ways. I was working with Ivana Chubbuck really intensely since my Broadway stint because I wanted to give it all I had, and I knew I was drawn to dramatic roles. I really wanted to challenge myself. I didn\u2019t know if I could sing or dance or act on stage, and I found doing it all at the same time worked for me.<\/p>\nWhat do you feel like inspired you to join Karim A\u00efnouz\u2019s <\/strong>Rosebush Pruning<\/strong><\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\nFirst of all, I love Karim\u2014he\u2019s an incredible filmmaker. This script felt very provocative, and it was an ensemble, and I felt like it was very symbolic. I loved that it was about this vapid kind of family. I feel like it\u2019s timely. I feel like there is this strange emptiness in our culture these days. I felt like it was very poignant and interesting the way it was going to be presented. There are some disturbing parts of this film, but it\u2019s part of the story.<\/p>\n
How did you prepare for this role? <\/strong><\/h2>\nI write a diary. I do everything for each character that I create, with playlists.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve been jumping around genres a lot in your recent roles. Do you feel most comfortable in one, or are you trying to keep the role diversified? <\/strong><\/h2>\nI just love interesting filmmakers. I love Korn\u00e9l Mundrucz\u00f3\u2014and just playing Ellen Burstyn\u2019s daughter, I thought, was incredible. I\u2019m just surrounding myself with people that I\u2019m really inspired by. There are plenty of people I would love to work with that I haven\u2019t been able to work with yet. It\u2019s kind of a club. I hope they\u2019ll let me in. I\u2019ve had this history that is hard to let go of and navigate as kind of a new kid on the block, but not really being a new kid on the block. So that’s my dilemma. I feel like when I walk into a room, I think, \u201cOh God, why is she here?\u201d But then I think, \u201cNo, I\u2019m meant to be here. I have a lot to give.\u201d There is a part of me that\u2019s a fighter and rebellious, and I\u2019m rebelling against my own image that I\u2019ve been complicit in.<\/p>\n
How did you define success at 16? How would you define it now?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen I was 16, I just didn\u2019t want to be shy. I wanted to do anything I could to not be shy. It was paralyzing. And now I think success is the freedom to live the way I want to and be creative. And I feel very free in many ways. And so that feels like success.<\/p>\n
If you could collaborate with anyone next, who would it be and why?<\/strong><\/h2>\nI\u2019m just a fan of so many people’s work. I love the grittiness. I\u2019ve always loved Jim Jarmusch. I\u2019ve been a fan of his since the beginning. I love Nick Cave\u2019s words, and Tom Waits\u2019s voice. I love Tarantino, Sean Penn, Isabelle Huppert. We should all get together and do something.<\/p>\n
What are you saying \u201cno\u201d to now? What are you saying \u201cyes\u201d to?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen I sense insincerity, I say no. And I say yes to all beautiful, provocative ideas.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s something your mom or dad did that drove you crazy but that you do now too?<\/strong><\/h2>\nHopefully I\u2019ve cured that part of me. I don\u2019t think anything. I moved my parents onto my property. They live in a cabin on this little compound I have on Vancouver Island. So they\u2019re close, but not too close. Sometimes I scratch my head going, why have I done this to myself? <\/em>But anyway, they\u2019re a great support system, and I\u2019m here for them. And I\u2019ve always valued looking after your people.<\/p>\nAs an actress, you\u2019re an alchemist; you\u2019ve got to turn all the crap you\u2019ve gone through or things that you\u2019ve seen and known\u2014you observe all these people, and you put it into your work. That\u2019s been so great about these movies. Every movie feels like it\u2019s healing a part of you, and you don\u2019t even realize that when you\u2019re in it. It\u2019s better than therapy.<\/p>\n
What part do you think was healing inside of you as the Mother in <\/strong>Rosebush Pruning<\/strong><\/em>? (MAJOR SPOILER!)<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe dysfunction of the family and then her leaving with her lesbian gardener and being eaten by wolves. This film, for me, felt like it was a time of the times, and it\u2019s not going to be for everybody. Everything about it was symbolic.<\/p>\n
Being the Mother, obviously I am a mother, and I can recognize the mother must end. The mother must end for kids to blossom, and we are guilty of staying connected to our kids in ways that are controlling and manipulative and toxic, and there\u2019s something about \u2026 what a way to go, fed to the wolves.<\/p>\n
If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life and had to pull it out of your closet right now, what would you reach for?<\/strong><\/h2>\nI\u2019d be barefoot in a white linen dress, no makeup. I\u2019m wearing it right now.<\/p>\n
What was the last thing you splurged on? What is one thing you still refuse to spend a lot of money on?<\/strong><\/h2>\nI spend probably too much money on my homes and gardens, so a garden gate, an old truck. But I refuse to spend money on clothes. I have way too many clothes. I have more than enough to finish out my life with.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the first thing to really make you laugh? <\/strong><\/h2>\nMy favorite comedy is The Jerk<\/em>. But the first time I was actually working and broke out laughing was when I was hosting Saturday Night Live. <\/em>I could not hold it together when Will Ferrell was looking at me, and we were doing a sketch from \u201cThe Pigs in Space,\u201d and I could not stop laughing\u2014his pig face was too much<\/em>. I was lucky to be on Saturday Night Live<\/em> in those days.<\/p>\nWhen you get into your comic roles, do you have reference points? <\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen I did The Naked Gun<\/em>, I really wanted to keep the performance grounded. I was determined to fall in love, and I really worked hard on the character development. You\u2019re not playing the joke; you are in it, you are grounded. It\u2019s an authentic, true experience, and your intention is really important. It\u2019s not slapstick. When I was getting ready for The Naked Gun<\/em>, I was watching Chinatown<\/em> and Schindler\u2019s List<\/em>. I was watching Liam. I was devouring a lot of really interesting film, and it didn\u2019t make a difference that it was a comedy\u2014I worked hard on it.<\/p>\nWhat can you tell me about your role in Michael Cera\u2019s <\/strong>Love Is Not the Answer?<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\nI like to say this is my Hail Mary. I love this role. Michael was a genius. He\u2019s crazy. He has a cadence about him. It was a complete transformation, an absolute, complete transformation. I saw a little, tiny piece [of the film] the other day when I was doing ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement], and I was like, \u201cWho is that?\u201d It\u2019s a complete departure from everything, and I hope people love it.<\/p>\n
You just have to look at Michael Cera and think, \u201cWhat is his directorial debut going to be?\u201d It was a trip. We worked very hard. I am so appreciative of the experience that he chose me for it, because Jean is a complicated character. And working with Steve Coogan, whom I love, he\u2019s like a wild man.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.harpersbazaar.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first time Pamela Anderson flew to Los Angeles, she was reading Shirley MacLaine\u2019s autobiography Out on a Limb. Four decades later, Anderson, 59, considers herself lucky to call MacLaine a new friend. In fact, during a recent breakfast date, the Hollywood legend shared some advice: \u201cPlay older! It\u2019s so much more fun.\u201d Anderson spent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2515568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[496455,310910,496454,285977,466866,285684,413600,30600,455513,496453,488699,439211,439212],"class_list":["post-2515567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-collection-first","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-afece45e-9b04-4949-9987-fce79df98cf2","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-next","tag-now","tag-read_time-9","tag-shorttitle-pamela-anderson-answers-the-u003ciu003cembazaar-u003c-emu003c-iquestionnaire","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-film","tag-tv-theatre"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pamela-Anderson-on-Her-Next-Chapter-Taking-Comedy-Seriously-and.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2515567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2515569,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515567\/revisions\/2515569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2515567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2515567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2515567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}