Pamela Anderson Says ‘I Feel Like I’ve Just Started My Career Now’ (Exclusive)

Pamela Anderson has been working steadily in Hollywood for decades, but to the former Baywatch star, 2025 feels like a new beginning.

Speaking with PEOPLE at the U.K. premiere of her new movie The Naked Gun on Tuesday, July 22, Anderson, 58, demurred when asked how this comedy compares to previous work she’s done in funny films like Scary Movie 3.

“I feel like I’ve just started my career now, so I’m just really excited to be such a part of this and to play a real character,” she said.

In the film, an update of the classic 1988 comedy starring Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley, Anderson plays Beth Davenport, a femme fatale who falls for bumbling L.A. Police Squad lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson), the son of Nielsen’s character.

Neeson previously praised Anderson’s work ethic and comedy chops. “I can’t compliment her enough, I’ll be honest with you. No huge ego. She just comes in to do the work. She’s funny and so easy to work with,” he told PEOPLE last year. “She’s going to be terrific in the film.”

Anderson’s turn in The Naked Gun comes on the heels of an acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl, director Gia Coppola’s poignant drama about Las Vegas entertainer Shelly, whose long-running show, Les Razzle Dazzle, is set to close.

A former Playboy model who often played the blond bombshell in shows like V.I.P. following Baywatch, Anderson earned rave reviews and awards recognition for The Last Showgirl. She was nominated for a best actress Golden Globe alongside Oscar winners including Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet.

“The opportunity was something I was really craving, just wanting to express myself,” she told PEOPLE earlier this year. “I didn’t think it was ever gonna happen. I [thought] I became a cartoon character that wasn’t going to go any further.”

Her former agent even declined to send Anderson the script for The Last Showgirl — and Coppola had to contact one of her sons to get it to her. “I’m so grateful for [The Last Showgirl]. I don’t take it for granted because it almost slipped through my fingers,” she added.

The Naked Gun is in theaters nationwide on Friday, Aug. 1.