The Surprising Reason Pamela Anderson Won't Be in the New Baywatch

At one point, there was a chance her family—and potentially, by extension, Anderson herself—could have gotten involved: "I know that they were talking to my sons at some point about producing, but I don’t think they had a meeting of the minds. I’m not sure what happened there, but I wish them well," she explained, later adding, "If my kids were involved, I probably would have listened to them."

While she may not be involved with the latest iteration, she has nothing but love for the series. "It was a great job, and I loved going to work every day on the beach. I would have been there anyway," she laughed. "At the time, it taught me a lot, and it gave me worldwide exposure. Everything I’ve done has led me to here, which is a blessing. But I have no plans of going back to Baywatch."

Rather than retread familiar territory, Anderson is more interested in exploring new roles that stretch her creatively.

"Now is my time to really play with different characters," she told Deadline. "I have options, and some things I’m thinking about, including some theater again. I want to make really bold choices. I want to surprise people. I want to surprise myself. And so I’m trying to do things I haven’t done in the past."

And surprise people she has. From her role as Roxie Hart in Chicago to her most recent turn as the deceased matriarch in the drama Rosebush Pruning, Anderson has been showcasing a range that extends well beyond running in slow-motion on the beach (as iconic as that was).

It even extends well beyond acting, period. Over the past few years, she's launched a cookbook, a limited-edition line of pickles with Flamingo Estate, co-founded vegan skincare line Sonsie and started a Substack, The Open Journal, where she shares her thoughts, poetry and philosophies on life and love. Oh, and she's an avid gardener.