Pamela Anderson’s Hollywood comeback hit a new high Monday when the Canadian actress picked up her first-ever Golden Globe nomination.
The B.C. native is up for best actress in a dramatic film for her starring turn in “The Last Showgirl,” about a seasoned Las Vegas performer struggling to figure out her next act in life when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
“This is a tiny little film that got me out of my garden. I was making pickles and jam. I didn’t think I’d be doing more in this industry,” Anderson said.
“I was a little disappointed in myself and was kind of reassessing some of my life choices.
“But then this came up and I read it and I could hear her voice in my head, I could see it already and I just thought, ‘This is life or death. I have to do this film.’
“This is that feeling that people get when they respond to material and they have to do it. Of course, wasn’t thinking about any of this. I was just thinking ‘I need some place to put my entire life.’ And that was this film, all my life experience from childhood until now.”
The role marked a return to the cinematic spotlight for Anderson, who rose to fame in the late ’80s as a model and found global stardom as the breakout star of 1990s TV staple “Baywatch.” After a spotty acting record that included the critically panned “Barbed Wire” and tabloid frenzy surrounding her tumultuous relationship with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, Anderson became better known for her animal-rights activism.
She reclaimed her narrative with a candid 2023 Netflix documentary “Pamela: A Love Story” and memoir, “Love, Pamela,” part of a career renaissance that included her Broadway debut in 2022’s revival of “Chicago” and the renovation show “Pamela’s Garden of Eden.”
Anderson told the Canadian Press last year that “Garden of Eden” sparked a creative surge that marked “the beginning of my re-empowerment.”
“It’s all worked out,” she said. “I know everything is happening for a reason. There’s a lot of things going on. And I’m happy.”
She was among several Canadians to pick up Golden Globe nominations, including another first-timer — Vancouver’s Gabriel LaBelle who’s up for best actor in a motion picture comedy for his role in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” loosely based on the real-life cast and crew behind the inaugural episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
LaBelle plays a young Lorne Michaels who grapples with countless challenges while steering a troupe of untested comedians and writers in the 90 minutes leading up to the sketch comedy’s debut in 1975.
Canadian celebrity chef-turned actor Matty Matheson is part of the team nominated for best TV comedy for Disney Plus’ “The Bear,” which led all TV nominations with five. Matheson also co-wrote an episode this season and stars in the culinary dramedy as hapless-but-lovable handyman Neil Fak.
The Selena Gomez-starring musical “Emilia Perez” led all film bids with 10.
Meanwhile, Hamilton-born Martin Short has snagged his fourth nomination for playing struggling theatre director and podcast host Oliver Putnam in Disney Plus’ “Only Murders in the Building.”
Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is up for best drama film for his sci-fi sequel “Dune: Part Two,” which sees Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides joins forces with Zendaya’s Chani and the Fremen to seek revenge against those who destroyed his family.
Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds and Montreal’s Shawn Levy earned a nomination for their Marvel film “Deadpool & Wolverine” in a relatively new category for the especially big ticketsellers called cinematic and box office achievement
The third film in the “Deadpool” franchise sees Reynolds, who co-wrote the film, suit up again as the titular hero, this time teaming up with Hugh Jackman in his long-awaited return as iconic X-Men superhero Wolverine.
Levy, the film’s director, told the Canadian Press earlier this year that the film was fuelled by his friendship and Canadian connection with Reynolds.
“I hate to say it, but I do think our Canadianness is part of (our connection),” said Levy, who’s helmed family comedies including 2006’s “Night at the Museum” and produced the sci-fi behemoth “Stranger Things” for Netflix.
“We really love building movies designed for audience joy. We also are grinders. We love to work hard.”
Also among the Canadian nominees is Toronto screenwriter Graham Yost, who’s up for best TV drama as the executive producer of the Apple TV Plus spy thriller series “Slow Horses.”
The 82nd Golden Globes will be hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser on Jan. 5, 2025, airing live on Citytv.
