Pamela Anderson’s 2024 drama The Last Showgirl follows a middle-aged showgirl in a changing industry. Anderson plays Shelly Gardner, a showgirl who has been in the same revue, Le Razzle Dazzle, for three decades, and learns that it will soon be closing down. Along with the new struggles that she faces in her career, The Last Showgirl also sees Shelly attempting to get back in touch with her daughter, with whom she has a strained relationship. Owing to her impressive performance, The Last Showgirl is the highest rated movie of Pamela Anderson’s career.

The Last Showgirl has received all-around great reviews, but Pamela Anderson’s performance in particular stood out, leading many to speculate whether she would earn an Oscar nomination. While Anderson did earn a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her performance, she was pᴀssed over for the Oscar nomination. However, despite the movie’s lack of Oscar nominations being a disappointment, The Last Showgirl is a huge moment in Anderson’s career and points to good things in the future.

The Last Showgirl Proved That Pamela Anderson Can Be A Dramatic Actor

The Movie Is A Career First For The Actor

Pamela Anderson is best known for her roles in shows like Baywatch or V.I.P. and for small roles in comedy movies and appearances in both films and TV shows as herself, but The Last Showgirl is something completely new in Anderson’s career. While many of her past appearances have been focused more on action or humor, The Last Showgirl proves that Pamela Anderson can also be a great dramatic actor.

While the entire cast of The Last Showgirl give great performances, and Jamie Lee Curtis has even earned a few Best Supporting Actress nominations at different awards ceremonies to prove it, Pamela Anderson undoubtedly stands out. Anderson is the perfect embodiment of Shelly Gardner because it is so clear that she understands how a woman’s beauty impacts her work in the industry and how aging changes everything. Shelly’s connection to her job and realization that everything around her is changing is quite sad and poignant, and Anderson conveys Shelly’s emotions beautifully.

Additionally, Shelly’s desire to know her daughter better and the emotions ᴀssociated with that help add yet another layer to the performance. Shelly Gardner’s world is so centered on her job, and after learning the show’s fate, she attempts to reconcile with Hannah without fully committing to her daughter’s needs. Pamela Anderson perfectly depicts the divide between the relationship that Shelly wants to have with her daughter and the reality of her situation, and the tension is never resolved in The Last Showgirl‘s somber ending.

The Last Showgirl Looks Like The Start Of Pamela Anderson’s Career Resurgence

She Already Has Other Projects Lined Up

Following the recent release of The Last Showgirl, Pamela Anderson already has two upcoming projects in the works. The next film that audiences will be able to see Pamela Anderson in is The Naked Gun, which is scheduled to be released on August 1, 2025. The film will be a sequel to the previous Naked Gun movies, with Liam Neeson taking the lead role of Frank Drebin Jr. to replace Leslie Nielsen. While the plot of the movie is unknown at this time, audiences can surely count on the laughs that have been present in the previous installations.

In addition to The Naked Gun, Pamela Anderson will also appear in the Karim Aïnouz movie Rosebush Pruning. Rosebush Pruning serves as a remake of the 1965 film Fists in the Pocket, which centers on a troubled family with various illnesses. The primary plotline follows one of the sons, who decides over time to murder his family members. The full details of Anderson’s role have not been released yet, but she will star alongside well-known names such as Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, and Callum Turner.

Beyond these two known projects, Pamela Anderson’s phenomenal work in The Last Showgirl could also point to future success for the actor. The critical success of the film as a whole and Anderson’s distinct praise mean that she could be more likely to be offered other roles in the future. Now that she has proven herself more than capable of taking on characters with heavy emotional backing, she could be a shoo-in for other drama roles along with comedies, where she has often been cast throughout her career.

Hollywood’s Interest In Pamela Anderson Is Finally For The Right Reasons

Anderson Is Finally Getting The Respect She Deserves As A Performer

The Last Showgirl is undoubtedly one of Pamela Anderson’s best roles, and it proves that Hollywood is finally paying attention to the actor for the right reasons. Throughout her career, unfair emphasis has often been placed on Anderson’s appearance rather than her talent as a performer, and her personal life has become public without her consent on multiple occasions, resulting in her often not being treated fairly. However, with The Last Showgirl, things are finally starting to change.

Recently, Anderson has ᴀssumed more control over the narrative about her through media, such as the documentary Pamela, a Love Story and her memoir Love, Pamela, as well as through the attention she has gained from The Last Showgirl. Media outlets themselves have also begun to realize that past treatment of the star has been less than favorable and ignored her acting abilities. Now, on a positive note, the press that Pamela Anderson has gotten for The Last Showgirl has been about her skill in the role and positive prospects for the future.

The Last Showgirl Could Make It Easier For Pamela Anderson To Get An Oscar Nomination In The Future

Voters May Start To See Her Differently In The Future

Pamela Anderson may have missed out on an Oscar nomination for her performance this year, but with the attention from other awarding bodies, The Last Showgirl has certainly put the actor back on the radar. Pamela Anderson has proved that she has the talent to take on various types of roles, and her multiple upcoming projects show that her career is far from over. Additionally, with the positive press from The Last Showgirl, Oscars voters may be more inclined to give her future roles more serious consideration.

The success of The Last Showgirl has exceeded many expectations, but it sadly still failed to match up with its more well-known counterparts leading into the Oscar nominations season. However, now that Pamela Anderson has definitively reentered the conversation of best performances of the year, her next films seem set up to get more attention as well. Following Anderson’s performance in The Last Showgirl, it will be exciting to watch her continue to gain positive attention and, hopefully, Oscars recognition in the future.