Pamela Anderson 'Didn't Realize How Difficult' It Was for Her Sons to See Their 'Mom Be Sexualized'

Mar. 15, 2025

Pamela Anderson in Los Angeles on Dec, 17, 2024.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty

Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty

Pamela Andersonis reflecting on the “difficult” combination of her image as a Hollywood star and, simultaneously, a mother, earlier in her career.

“Being a working mom and being in this entertainment world and having your mom be sexualized in some way— I didn’t realize how difficult it was,“The Last Showgirlactress, 57, said in an interview withAnorastarMikey MadisonforVariety’s “Actors on Actors” series.

Anderson cemented her sex-symbol status in the 1990s via bombshell roles onBaywatch, in 1996’sBarb Wireand more, as well as on severalPlayboycovers. During her marriage toTommy Lee, she also endured controversy following the theft and distribution ofa sex tape.

But when it comes to her sonsBrandon, now 28, andDylan, now 26, whom she shares with ex Lee, 62, “My kids are grown. I’m free. Now I can play again,” she told Madison, 25.

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Pamela Anderson with sons Brandon and Dylan on Jan. 15, 2000.Hulton Archive/Getty

Hulton Archive/Getty

Anderson went on to say that she doesn’t believe “the past [should] dictate your future.”

“But looking back, I was always creating characters. And I feel like I know I’ve created a few Halloween costumes,” she continued. “But a lot of the things I went through, I didn’t realize my kids were going through them at the same time.”

She noted that nowadays, “I’m not ashamed of the choices that I made, even though maybe in hindsight I would’ve done things differently. Butyou need life experienceto know that you would’ve done that differently.”

Since her boys are grown now, “I feel like now I have the freedom to focus on things instead of worrying about a relationship or my family,” Anderson added.

In an August cover story forBetter Homes & Gardens, Anderson said her sons “are old enough now to understand the big picture,” adding, “Of course, over the years, they learned about things in my past, bothage-appropriate and not age-appropriate.”

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From L: Brandon Lee, Pamela Anderson and Dylan Lee in New York City on Sept. 6, 2023.Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

“Unfortunately, they thought I was taken advantage of in some ways,” she continued, adding how the “young, bold, hardworking men” offer their mother unwavering support and encouragement.

Speaking withVarietyfor an interview published Wednesday, Dec. 18, Brandon, an actor-turned-producer, said of the public perception of his mother ahead of the release of her 2023 memoirLove, Pamelaand Netflix documentaryPamela, a Love Story, “The category she was in before, she was just very objectified … her whole career was just positioned towards the male gaze.”

Brandon with Pamela Anderson on March 10, 2024.Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

“And for us to see the shift after we laid all the cards out on the table was shocking to me,” he continued. “I knew at that point that there was going to bethis great shift in her career, because she was no longer this misunderstood or threatening personality.”

Added Brandon, “She wasn’t this sex symbol anymore. She was a human being, and I think people werelooking at her in a completely new light. And I feel like that kind of reintroduced her to the world. It feels like everyone’s rooting for her.”

The Last Showgirlis in theaters Jan. 10.

source: people.com