Pamela Anderson has responded gracefully after being left out of the 2025 Academy Award nominations for her critically acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl.
The former Baywatch star, who earned both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for her role, maintained a positive outlook following Thursday’s Oscar announcement.
“Oh my gosh, it’s not something I ever expected. Doing the work is the win,” Anderson told Elle magazine.
The 57-year-old actress emphasised the importance of focussing on the craft rather than accolades.
“That’s what I like to do, and I think we can lose sight of that sometimes in this whole crazy awards season, but it’s nice to be recognised, and it’s all a bonus,” she added.
The Last Showgirl follows the story of Shelly Gardner, a 57-year-old Las Vegas showgirl whose life is upended when her casino resort announces its closure due to declining ticket sales.
Pamela Anderson had been touted for Oscars success for her role in The Last Showgirl
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Anderson’s portrayal of Shelly in director Gia Coppola’s indie drama earned scores of rave reviews from critics.
Caryn James of the BBC called Anderson “a revelation” in the role, praising her “low-key devastation” as a genuine acting triumph.
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney described it as a “transformative performance”, suggesting the role should mark a turning point in Anderson being taken seriously as an actress.
Anderson herself has called it “the role I have been waiting for my entire career” following the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September.
Pamela Anderson has been in the spotlight for almost four decades
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Therefore, it was inevitable that film fans and Anderson supporters flooded social media with disappointed reactions after the news broke that she’d missed out.
“A moment of silence for Pamela Anderson and The Last Showgirl She deserved better. #Oscars,” one fan wrote on X before a second hit out: “Pamela Anderson getting snubbed by the #Oscars is my villain origin story.”
“Pamela Anderson was robbed and snubbed by the Academy today. She blew me away in The Last Showgirl. It was one of the best performances of the year. More so than some of the other hyped movies nominated. Go watch her brilliant performance. #Oscars #OscarNoms,” added a third while a fourth commented: “Pamela Anderson deserved a nomination for The Last Show Girl! Im so gutted for her #OscarNoms #Oscars.” (sic)
The Best Actress Oscar nominations announced on Thursday instead went to Demi Moore for The Substance and Cynthia Erivo for Wicked.
Also nominated were Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here, Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, and Mikey Madison for Anora.
The winners will be revealed at the 97th Academy Awards ceremony, set to be broadcast live on ITV on March 2, 2025.
Anderson’s performance in The Last Showgirl had already garnered significant recognition before the Oscar nominations, with nods from both the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Speaking on Andy Cohen’s Sirius XM show Radio Andy, Anderson described the film’s success as “the best payback” following the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy.
Still sad that one of my favorite leading performances this year wasn’t nominated for an academy award. Pamela Anderson gives her all, and then some in The Last Showgirl. Authentic & vulnerable.
Hoping more roles like this land on her desk 🩷✨ pic.twitter.com/IZojIPB03b
— meg. 🖤 (@wondermeg_) January 24, 2025
“I’m being seen and recognised for my work and not these tawdry moments,” she said.
The actress expressed particular satisfaction with her SAG nomination, telling Elle: “I’m happy for the SAG nomination, that’s [voted on by] your peers. That’s really cool.”
Anderson has several upcoming projects, including roles in a new Naked Gun reboot alongside Liam Neeson and Rosebush Pruning with Elle Fanning and Riley Keough.
