Hi Pam,
Thanks for doing this AMA! I have three questions:
Is it true that your divorce with Kid Rock was escalated due to a screening of Borat?
What is your fondest memory of being married to Tommy Lee?
Are you a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones and if so who’s your favorite character?
Thanks Pam!
That didn't help things.
Having my kids.
I've seen a few episodes of Game of Thrones... I haven't watched in a long time. Sorry!
How do you remember working with David Hasselhof? Did he make a lot of jokes during Baywatch?
He did. He's actually very funny. He just loves being David Hasselhoff. He's kind of a caricature of himself, and he was always very distracted. I think he liked to bet on sports!
Hey Pamela! First, big fan of your work. You're a beautiful, talented woman. What kind of activism are you involved in? What kind of things do you do for the causes?
Well, I have my foundation, the Pamela Anderson Foundation, which was founded about 10 years ago but I officially started using it a year ago at the Cannes Film Festival. I had it for a long time, but I finally had a lot of time to put effort into it. I've always been an animal activist, over the last 20 years I've worked closely with PETA, and then I started working with environmental causes and going to places like Honduras and Haiti and talking to people about deforestation. And I've started to work on human rights issues. As i've been made aware of things, I've started to apply it to my life. And we're starting a program called "Activist Tenure," and it's to support families of activists, all over the world, who are doing hard work and aren't getting paid for it.
Hey Pamela. Do you prefer Oreos or Twist n Shouts?
Oreos.
Oreos are vegan.
What's the most terrifying secret about a Playboy Mansion that you can tell us?
Terrifying secret? There's nothing terrifying about it. Unless you're shy, hahaha!
What's up Pamela! Thanks for doing an AMA!
How is David Hasselhoff in real life? Do you guys still talk to each other?
I haven't seen David in years. So no, we don't talk to each other anymore, but he was a very sweet man.
You're an avid supporter of PETA. How do you feel about PETAs kill shelters? How do you reconcile the thoughts behind running a kill shelter with the ethical treatment of animals?
Well, I believe in the quality of life of an animal. I know that's a very controversial subject, because we don't support no-kill shelters, because there are so many animals suffering in shelters that a lot of money goes to caring for animals that are injured or unable to find homes, and so they believe in the quality of life of the animal, they believe in spaying & neutering. So it may be controversial, a lot of people don't understand, a lot of animal activists want to save every single animal, and unfortunately there are so many unwanted animals and so many filled shelters, that many healthy animals get neglected and unable to find homes.
Hi Pamela! How was it working with Stan Lee on Stripperella?
Oh my gosh, it's been so long!
Stan Lee is AMAZING. That was really fun. It didn't last very long. He wanted actually to have the characters be nude, and for some reason, I didn't want that at that time! I had kids, and I loved the animation, but they wanted to make it a little racier than I was comfortable with.
Shocking! Haha!
Hi, Pamela. What is your favourite erotic movie?
Favorite erotic movie?
Oh my goodness. I can't think of any... I think that film, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR. I don't know if that's too much of an erotic film, but I thought it was different, and beautiful.
What is your advice to people who want to support a cause, and maximize the positive impact they have on the world, but don't know where to start?
Well, you should definitely find what you're most passionate about, and then research organizations that you can support, and you can do something as easy as sign petitions, retweet information, get on social media, and let your voice be heard. There's so many causes. If you find your passion, and you can focus on that one thing, then your message doesn't get diluted. I sometimes find myself that I get involved in a lot of different charities - like my support for animals - and then I realized that environmental issues affected animals and people, and then I got involved with organizations fighting human trafficking. So I try to stick to those 3 areas.
Hey Pam huge fan of baywatch.
What were the biggest points in your career? Meaning what made it? What was your turning point that made it soar? Did it come with baywatch or was it before?
Not many know what it might be. Thanks :)
Well, I think...Playboy found me, in Vancouver. I thought I would come to LA and, you know, do a photoshoot for the cover, and turn around and go home. But then I just thought I'd stay here until I stopped working, and I'm still here. But Home Improvement came before Baywatch. I started doing Home Improvement and Baywatch at the same time. And then I did Barb Wire, and got married, and everything exploded after that!
It seems like so long ago. My oldest son graduates from high school this year. It's bananas.
Hi Pamela! Is there one Baywatch story that you remember that tops all the rest and who was your favorite person to work with? Also if there was any one thing you regret at that time in your life, what would it be and how you would handle it today?
Oh boy!
Baywatch stories, there are so many. I just couldn't believe that i had the best job in the world - that I could bring my dog, and I got paid (because I would've been on the beach anyway) - I just couldn't believe my luck!
I remember I had my first child on Baywatch, and I was back in my bathing suit one month after having Brandon.
So I can kind've look at my body on some of those old episodes - I've seen pictures where my body looked all shapes and sizes, and that was pretty brave of me to get back in a swimsuit so soon!
Every day was fun.
I started on Baywatch with my boyfriend, David Charvet, at the time. So we thought we were really lucky - we got to work together, on the beach. It didn't last very long, working together, but it was fun! And I love being active, and in the water, swimming. I grew up on an island, so I've always been very athletic, not afraid of the ocean, so I really enjoyed it all. I loved being as active as I was. And then I realized that people DO have stunt doubles - and when I realized that - I couldn't believe that ! Because we really did a lot of our own stunts.
At that time in my life? Well, I think that was the time... just after I had my kids, I was pregnant with Dylan, a tape was stolen out of my house with Tommy, and they spliced all these videos together, and they put out that videotape together of Tommy and I running around naked and being silly. And it was very humiliating, embarrassing, and I...that was just very difficult. It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life, but it was very difficult to handle. I think that was the hardest thing I've gone through. Grace and dignity, you just have to get through it. And then I think it became a trend. But ours wasn't intentional!
What would you like to make in the near future? What is your dream project?
I just finished a couple of indie films, which I really love. I'm starting to do a little cooking show, which I'm really excited about. It's called "The Sensual Vegan," and we're starting to shoot in June. I'm writing a book as well - this is my second book - and it's incredible. But cooking shows are very basic how to start cooking vegan tips, and I hope it turns into something more than that, but we're going to start shooting in June. So I'm excited about that.
And the indie films are incredible. To put that much effort and focus into a film - now I've done two character-driven films that are coming out, so I hope to do more of that. One is a short called "Connected," and one is a feature film called "The People Garden."
They're just small films, to get my feet wet again, to really experiment. And I'm really enjoying it.
I have to ask, how fun was filming Borat?
INSANE.
He is insane.
Which I love.
Sacha was so great to me, and it's such a compliment that he wanted to make that film chasing me around.
But when it really came down to it - I really thought he wanted to kill me, and capture me. He's an incredible actor, very funny. The film, the whole concept was new at that time - people have since tried to mimic it - but nobody knew he was filming a movie, and when he came to the book signing, it was a real book signing.
And then he is in line, with this bag, and he throws me in the bag, throws me over his shoulder, and starts running out! But then I get away from him. The look in his face was SO frightening, I ended up running away, jumping in another car. It was enough. It was exciting.
In a very special way, hahaha!
It was great.
How did you enjoy voice acting in Futurama TV show? What was the experience like and would you do it again?
I would like to. I've been asked to do some voices for things. It's funny, because if I call - people don't do this anymore, but when I call 411 for information, my kids laugh at me because I did that the other day, I guess people just google it, but I'm the WORST with gadgets - and when I called for information, they said "Is this Pamela Anderson?!"
They knew my voice! I was in shock!
So people say my voice is fairly recognizable, and I should do more voice projects, so I haven't pursued it too much - but I'm definitely open to it.
Hey Pamela! What do you love to do in your spare time?
Well, you know, as the kids are older - they're 18 and 19 - they're not always here, but I love to cook, I love to garden, I meditate, I write a lot, I have this book coming out, Raw, that shows it. A lot of my poetry, my journalling, and behind-the-scenes photographs are in it. I have a girlfriend, Emma, whom I've known for 15 years and she always seems to have a camera in her hand, so we're putting together this coffee table book with some funny moments. I like to write. And I do TM Meditation, I try and really spend some time alone lately, writing, and I'm always involved in some kind of construction - I'm building my guest house - and I'm always involved in my Foundation. I'm trying to make more spare time to be alone more, I think it's therapeutic.
Would you do Barb Wire 2, babe?
Haha!
Babe!
Hahaha!
I don't think ANYONE would want to do Barb Wire 2 with me! But you never know!
Pamela would you rather adopt one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
That's pretty funny.
The little ones.
Yeah! Haha!
Will our lunch be strictly vegan?
Yes.
Hi Pamela! Can I visit you at your home with my traditional wedding sack?
NO!
HAHAHAHAAHA!
Hi! When will we see you in a sequel to the modern masterpiece 'Barb Wire'?
We just answered that! You know, it's become kind of a cult favorite. But I don't think anyone wants to do a sequel with me.
Regarding that scene on Borat, in which he puts you in his "wedding bag": was it staged or not?
I knew about it. And we actually did a couple endings for that movie, but that's the one we chose.
How do you remember Baywatch? What was best at making it?
Just being outside every day. And seeing every sunrise. Our hours were sunrise to sunset. It doesn't get any better than that. To be in the ocean, running around in a bathing suit - it was really fun. And the stories were really simple, and sweet. I really believe that was probably my favorite job I ever had. It was just so sweet. And then I started marrying rockstars...
How do you stay fit, Pamela? What exercises do you do?
I don't exercise a lot. But I walk a lot. You know? I walk on the beach, or go for hikes with my girlfriends or my dogs. I'm not a big workout person. I thin your diet is very important. I'm vegan. And just having an active life. But I don't go to a gym. I walk on a treadmill if I can't get outside.
Hi, Pamela! I recently watched all of Stacked again and really miss seeing you on the screen. Do you have anything in the works, for TV or film? Also, i love seeing how you support Sea Shepherd. :)
I don't know when my two small indie films are coming out, but I've been meeting with a lot of directors, and people are excited bout me getting back on television again. Everyone knows I'm interested in working again, so I've been getting some great offers, but nothing to speak of yet.
Hey Pam,
What would you say was the biggest influence in making you want create your foundation?
I just felt that I'd done so much work with PETA and I was such a great connector - connecting foundations with people who had a lot of resources - that everyone was saying I should have my own foundation. So i thought I'd start doing it myself, because I'd worked very closely with people who are on the front lines. First responders to different natural disasters, whether it's Waves for Water or Sea Shepherd. My kids have done a lot of philanthropic work, when they were in Indonesia on a surf trip they brought clean water filtration there, so I thought it was such a huge part of my life that I wanted to create this foundation to help support those that are really doing this work, so it's going to people who are making huge, huge differences, so I can direct the funding to people whom I know really well and can tell you the difference they've made.
Any stories from working on Barb Wire?
Geez!
Well, Barb Wire seemed to last FOREVER. I ended up getting married while I was on Barb Wire, I ended up getting pregnant on Barb Wire... Tommy and I were newly married, he wanted me at home, he was always on the set causing problems, wanting to spend time with his wife when I had work to do- but it was fun, it was such an action-packed movie. And I actually went to the Cannes Film Festival to promote the film before we shot it, and we got SO much attention that they ended up changing the script several times, and changing the director, hoping that it would be maybe a big, mass-market hit, when really in the beginning it was intended to be a very dark comedy, small film.
The initial script was a lot simpler, and the director Adam Rifkin had a different image, and then they replaced him and re-wrote the script - and I was so confused - between the re-writes and all the personal stuff going on, I'm surprised it got made! But it was fun. And I learned a lot.
You mentioned Blue is the warmest color, do you watch arthouse movies often?
I do! Those are my favorite films. My kids always give me a hard time, because I'm always watching something with subtitles they don't want to see. I love all of Brigitte Bardot's films, anything by Jim Jarmusch... I'm not a big TV or movie person, but I do like to watch some of these - there's really great films out now that my agents are sharing with me that are doing these smaller indie films - there are a lot of directors tackling these incredible subjects. I think I live in some kind of bubble - I thought I was artistic and crazy and all of these things! And when I see these films that these younger directors are putting out - they are really exposing these different lifestyles and ideas and things I've never heard of.
Pamela,
If you were stuck on a desert island and could bring 3 foods with you, what would they be?
Thank you in advance for resolving this important matter.
Heehee!
Avocado... chocolate... and bread. I think I could survive on that! In fact, I DO survive on that! And maybe peanut butter.
There's talk of an Expendables all female cast movie or TV series in the works...would you make a good Expendables action hero?
Sure! Hahahha!
I don't know...
When will your book RAW be released?
It's gonna be in-stores in September, but it's available now on Amazon. You can order it now on Amazon.
Hey Pamela, just wanted to ask what is your favorite food? :)
You know, food isn't really top of my list. It's really funny. But i do love really healthy food. But if I do eat, it's something very simple. Avocados - I'm not a fan of processed vegan food. I just eat very simply.
Hi Pamela, who's your favourite Hockey team?
CANUCKS! Hahahaha!
I'm from Vancouver Island! So...
Hey Pam,
First off, you're doing great work with your foundation, well done :)
My question is, what country have you yet to visit which you really would really like to go to?
Also, in your touring/travels, what was the most hospitable country you have been to?
Africa. My kids want to go to the Ivory Coast. They're thinking of going to teach surfing down there. And I'd love to go with them there. They probably don't want me to come, but i want to go! They're very independent.
Hospitable... Canada, I'm from Canada, and I think it's a very wonderful and polite country. And I love Australia. I've always had fun, and met really kind people, in both those places.
David Hasselhoff told me he'd make a great Terminator in an Arnold film...do you agree and would YOU TOO make a great Terminator? Would you play a better nice terminator or an evil one?
I don't think David would make a very good Terminator, hahaha!
And to be a Terminator, you'd have to be quite evil... right?
What's your favorite book?
Oh my gosh. I'm reading so many! I'm reading a book right now called SACRED CONTRACTS. I like reading more metaphysical things. But I just finished - a lot of Anais Nin, I read - and I'm in the middle of two books, one on Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed, and Nureyev's biography. But I'm a huge fan of Anais Nin, and I read a lot of her.
Hi Pamela, how are you? Do you like to visit Vancouver, British Columbia a lot? I went there over Canadian Thanksgiving back in October 2012 and apartments in downtown Vancouver are so expensive!
They ARE so expensive. But it's a beautiful, beautiful city. And I'm there a lot. I still have a home on Vancouver Island. So I'll usually stop in Vancouver to get in some kind of trouble with friends there.
What's your favourite animal?
I love them all. But I love my dogs. Elephants. I'm going to say elephants.
How does it feel to know that pretty much every guy who was a teenager in the 90s was obsessed with you?
I guess that's a compliment! But that's not really what you think about? I've never thought about it like that. But I'll take it as a compliment!
Oh god...
Where are they now?! Hahaha!
What's the craziest/funniest thing David Hasselhoff has ever said to you?
Well, I think when he gave me a calendar of himself?
And a CD of himself?
And a postcard of himself, coming out of the water, dripping, and said "Thank you for supporting my musical career" and I didn't know he HAD a musical career!
I think this was a Christmas gift to everybody on the set of Baywatch.
Do you like horror movies? If so can you tell us your favorites?
I don't like horror movies. No.
How's your day Pam?
P.S. You're pretty good looking. Has anyone ever told you that?
Ha!
That's funny! Not recently, but... hahaha!
Today, I had a really great day. I was speaking with my chef I'm working with on my show, to approve the menus for the vignettes we're shooting in a couple weeks. I had an argument with my son today about university, which I think a lot of parents are going through right now, I think everyone's nervous about their next steps as we get to the end of the school year, and I try to tell him "You can change your mind, but you don't want to ruin any options" - so anyway, all morning I was talking to my son, and then I was working on my cooking show, and now i'm talking to you!
So a great day. It's ending well, it's just great to have communication.
How's it going Pam? If you could have any other career what would it be?
Oh!
People have always asked me to be an architect or interior designer. I love sustainable architecture. I have an idea to create sustainable pre-fab homes and sustainable furniture. I just chose the wood for my guest house, which is sustainable. For some reason, people always ask me "Could you design my house? Could you decorate my house?"
I've just always had a fascination with architecture and design.
Favorite brand of ice cream?
I don't have a sweet tooth, except for chocolate. I don't eat ice cream, but I do like sorbets... sometimes.
Coconut sorbets.
What kind of music have you been listening to recently?
I like rock n' roll. I like the Black Keys. I like bands like that. Or the Stones. When I have my Pandora on, it's usually Van Morrison, or the Stones, or the Black Keys, or the Weekend! I like the Weekend too!
I like the blues.
I play jazz. I play a little bit of guitar, and saxophone (yeah, I know - I played in high school, and then when i was in London, I played there too). I love jazz and blues. Those are a couple things that people don't know about me. I'm not very good on guitar, but i took guitar lessons. My son is amazing on the guitar. But not me! I just know a little bit.
When are they going to reboot VIP? That show was the best.
I LOVED VIP!
I think it's being shown somewhere around the world all the time. They were showing it in South America, when I was there.
Baywatch and VIP seem to go on, and on... and my mom always makes fun of me, because she can always find me on some channel! VIP and Baywatch keep going on and on!
Hey Pam!
What can you tell us about Hef that would be a complete shocker?
Well, I think he's a pretty open book, hahahaha!
I saw him at the Mansion at Easter, and I think he's almost 90. He has a bad back, so I think he's in some pain and struggling right now. But he has such an incredible spirit, and such charisma. Something that's just missing - a lost art of chivalry. You always feel special around Hef. He always makes you feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. He's just got that charm.
What is your favorite David Bowie song?
FAME! Hahahahaha!
I like David Bowie. That's the first one that came to mind.
Tommy remade it. That's why I heard it a lot.
What gets you out of the bed in the morning?
My dogs! But sometimes I beat them out of bed - I'm a very early riser! Either I'm up all night, or up early. It depends on what mood I'm in, and who I'm around. I'm a very early riser. And the morning is when I like to write. And my kids are pretty self-sufficient. They're very independent boys. They cook for themselves - I'm really proud of both of them. They're not the usual. They're very unique.
You say
My foundation exists to protect all living things.
And yet you support PETA, who goes out of their way to steal and kill people's pets, and reportedly kills over 90% of stray animals they receive.
By what definition do you support protecting living things?
I think that PETA has rescued a lot of animals that people have kept illegally - like exotic pets that people have no right to be having as pets- and they can't be happy in those situations. I don't think it's 90% of stray animals, but people do go to PETA headquarters and throw animals over their fence - with broken bones and things like that. And when animals are very hurt, and they do euthanize them, people get very offended and very upset. But there's no way to save every animal. The most important thing we can do is spay & neuter pets, so that we don't have unwanted animals, and so we can find homes for healthy animals that will have good quality of life. Sometimes they have to figure out the most humane thing to do. And a lot of people have the wrong idea when it comes to "no-kill" shelters. Because funding goes to animals that will never find homes that could be going to animals that could be saved. It's such a difficult choice. I wish things were a lot different. But there are just so many unwanted animals out there. So that's why it's important that people spay & neuter their pets. And adopt animals from shelters.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has done some incredibly controversial things throughout his career. Why on earth did you want to be seen with someone like that?
Well, he was the first person to make a vegan prison. And I think if we were to turn prisons vegan, we could save a lot of animals and teach a lot of people non-violent ways of eating. One person eats about 200 animals a year. This one prison had 8,000 inmates. And going vegan could save a lot of animals. It also saved a lot of energy - really, what they were serving as meat was bologna and hot dogs, so gosh only knows what that is - and going vegan helped with religious restrictions on diets, and they found that overweight prisoners lost weight, underweight prisoners gained weight, and so I went back after the year-long prison going vegan experiment concluded, and I served lunch there.
Which was interesting!
What drew you to work on Baywatch?
Well, I've never been on an audition. What happened was - it was kind of a course of events - when I was on Playboy, they wanted to meet me, and I didn't know where Marina Del Rey was, it sounded very far away, and then when my boyfriend was going to go audition, I went with him, and they gave us both jobs! But I didn't audition.
Hahahah!
They said I was famous before I walked into the door, because i was the one that never showed up! And they knew who I was, and offered me the job.
Hi Pamela. Clearly you have proven to be a strong independent and intelligent woman. Kudos. Having said that, what's your biggest regret been so far?
Divorce. Hahaha!
It's just so hard on a family. And I think I'm a hopeless romantic that keeps trying. But I do have boundaries. And those are things that i am proud of, but I regret that I've dragged my kids through some unnecessary situations. That's my biggest regret.
What 4 things would you do if you could be a guy for a day?
Oh man.
I would open a car door for a woman, hahaha!
Let me see. This is very important.
I would be a good father. I would be a good husband. And... I would never hunt!
There you go.
Who would you consider the biggest sex symbol today? (other than yourself).
AAAAAH! That's so funny!
I love the old sex symbols - like Lana Turner, and Marilyn Monroe!
There's just so many to choose from, because there are so many beautiful people out there, and you can see beautiful people anywhere, on Instagram... I just think there are so many people who are addicted to fame, but the Jane Fondas and the people that i always respected always had some kind of activism in their blood - I think those are the people who always interested me.
Because a symbol of any kind - there's more to them than just looks.
There has to be something that people are attracted to beyond physical appearance.
Cool, always wondered if I'd have a way to ask you this. Being from the island, I was always told my grandma was sister's with your grandma or mom, not too sure which. Any way to fact check if either of them had a sister named Millie that married a guy named Stanley?
I could ask my mom! I mean, depending on which side of the family - Vancouver Island? Well, my grandmother's name was Margery... it could be!
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A golden eagle! That's my spirit guide! That's my animal guide. Someone told me.
That's funny.
Do you still have that sexy red bathing suit?
I do. I have one, in my safe. And I used to have another one, but someone stole it, and I found them in your guest room, in bed, wearing it.
Yes.
She was deported back to France.
I do. I have one, in my safe. And I used to have another one, but someone stole it, and I found them in your guest room, in bed, wearing it.
Yes.
She was deported back to France.
That was another house! I have full security now!
Everyone seems to have a golden rule they try to follow in life. Whats yours?
Golden rule would be making compassionate choices when it comes to every decision.
And having a lot of fun! Hahaha!
Having fun. Living!