[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for The Last Showgirl.]

Summary

Co-stars Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis were drawn to ‘The Last Showgirl’s portrayal of women’s complexities and human experiences.

The movie explores themes of resilience, family dynamics, and new beginnings amidst personal and professional changes.

The actresses formed a strong connection on set, portraying deep emotions and relatable experiences in their characters.

From director Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten, the drama The Last Showgirl tells the story of a glamorous showgirl who suddenly finds herself swept off the stage as the curtain closes after a 30-year run. Shelly (Pamela Anderson) is something of a mother figure for the younger girls in the show that she’s dedicated so much of her life to, while at the same time not really being around for her own daughter (Billie Lourd). But when the show ends and the connection they all share gets severed, they’re left to figure out what comes next.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Shelly’s best friend Annette, herself a beverage entertainer, talked about why they both had to be a part of this project, the film’s beautifully drawn portraits of women, how they feel about each other, that memorable moment between Shelly and her daughter, and how Annette’s casino dance came about.
Pamela Anderson Had Never Been Offered a Project Like ‘The Last Showgirl’ Before

Image via Roadside Attractions

Collider: There’s something so beautifully human about this film and the story of these women. Pamela, you’ve said that when you read the script, you knew you had to do it and that you were the only one to do it. Was there ever a moment that you doubted that or lost that confidence, or are you someone who is all in once you’ve decided to do something?
PAMELA ANDERSON: I was all in and knew I had to do it. It felt like life or death. It just ticked all the boxes for me and made me feel alive. I felt such relief when I read it. My heart started beating fast and I thought, “Oh, this is what that feeling is, when you read a project and you have to do it.” I’ve never read a script like this before. I’ve never been offered anything like it. So, I was all in, times a thousand, times a million.

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Jamie, you’ve said that you wanted to do this because Pamela Anderson was the one that was going to be playing Shelly. When it comes to doing a project, there’s the idea of what it’ll be going into it, there’s the experience of making it, and then there’s how you feel once it’s done. So, how did the experience of working with Pamela Anderson compare to what you hoped it would be?
JAMIE LEE CURTIS: I’ve known Gia Coppola since she was a young girl. She sent me a script and said, “I’m making a movie with Pamela Anderson. It’s called The Last Showgirl. I’d like you to play Annette, her best friend.” And I said yes to Gia right then because I knew right away what it was going to be. And then, I read it, and it’s based on a play by Kate Gersten. As [Pam] said, there are very few movies that really highlight all the areas of womanhood. All the portraits of women in this movie are beautifully drawn and beautifully executed.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Kiernan [Shipka] goes to [Pamela’s] door and finds out the show is gonna close and what is she gonna do? We all know her. She’s a Mormon girl who left the Mormon church, left her family, came to Vegas, and now she has nothing. She has no family and she misunderstood that Pam is the mother figure and that this group of dancers is her family, but they’re not. Everybody is gonna go their own way. That was heartbreaking to me. So, I knew Annette. I knew that she was a hustler. I knew her in a second. I knew what she looked like. I knew what her skin looked like. I just love that the movie portraits all these women so beautifully, led by a single mother trying to do art and live a life.
Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis Loved Each Other and Working Together on ‘The Last Showgirl’

What did you two most enjoy about each other, about having each other to play off of, and about having each other there to support each other?
CURTIS: We didn’t hang out at all. We arrived and started shooting. I was there for four days total. We hit the ground running. I knew I would feel what I feel [about Pamela]. There are those ride or die people where you just go, “I’ve loved you my whole life.” That’s all you’re saying to someone. So, it was easy. It was beautiful.
ANDERSON: It was just natural. It was such a strong connection. Of course, I was intimidated to meet Jamie, at first.
CURTIS: Because I’m so intimidating.
ANDERSON: You’re not intimidating, but you’re Jamie Lee Curtis. You’re a big movie star.

18:50

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Pamela, there’s something so heartbreaking about the scene between Shelly and Hannah, when Hannah comes backstage to tell her mother that she saw the show, and then really lays into her about it. What was that scene like to shoot? What was that mother-daughter relationship like to explore and define with Billie Lourd?
ANDERSON: Her grandmother is Debbie Reynolds and her mother is Carrie Fisher, so she had a lot to draw from. She came to that scene with a lot of life experience that she could express herself with. And I have children. That was the first scene we shot together. It’s funny how that happens, but you just bond. You’re opening your hearts and your soul to one another so quickly. It was a beautiful scene, and it felt good to do that. It’s like talking to your therapist or your best friend. You work out so much, as an actor and as an artist, having these experiences. That was like one hundred years of therapy in one day.
CURTIS: That’s also a great part of the art form. They didn’t know each other, but Billie showed up and they shot that scene. That’s how show business works. You may think we all know each other, and yes, Pam hung out with the other girls and they all bonded a little. But Pam and I met in the hall and were shooting the next day. That’s how show business works. That’s the great testament to a beautiful script. The play is the thing. The thing that leads you there are the words. And then, you have a director and a camera team that is capturing it in that beautiful, warm way, and you have two artists meeting and doing what they do so beautifully. I agree with you, that scene kills me because I’m also, by the way, a mother of two. I’ve raised two children in show-off business and it’s awful. When Billie says, “I can’t believe this is what you missed my life for,” I’ve also missed my children’s lives, at least part of them, working for strangers. It’s a challenging thing, and it’s a really strong message of single motherhood.
ANDERSON: And the guilt and shame that comes along with reassessing your life choices puts you in different places, in different moments. I thought that was very relatable.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Dance in ‘The Last Showgirl’ Was Not Originally in the Script

Image via Roadside Attractions

Jamie, how did you feel about Annette’s dance in the casino?
CURTIS: No, no, no. Here’s the truth: We went to Vegas. We were in the casino, the first day with Gia. We were walking around. There was a cocktail waitress, and I asked her a little bit about what she does. She said, “I’m not a cocktail waitress. I’m what they call a beveretainer.” Bevertainers are cocktail servers who entertain. She then danced for us on this little platform, which was the same platform that I danced on. It was fascinating. As we were walking away, Gia said to me, “Oh, Annette’s gonna dance.” And I said, “No, no, no. She is not dancing. She is not. We have three days to shoot with me. We are not dancing.” And then, as we walked into the rehearsal room on the first day, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was on the sound system of the casino and I jokingly said to Gia, “Well, if Annette was a bevertainer, that would be her track.” And then, three days later in the casino, Gia walked up to me and said, “You’re dancing in five minutes.” I said, “What?!” She said, “You’re dancing in five minutes.” We did one take. There was no choreography. What I really didn’t know was how she was gonna use that in the storytelling. But the way she cut it into the story absolutely ripped me apart.

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A veteran Las Vegas showgirl reassesses her life and relationships after her long-running show abruptly ends. This drama explores themes of resilience, family dynamics, and the pursuit of new beginnings amidst personal and professional upheavals.
 

Director

Gia Coppola

Runtime

89 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Writers

Kate Gersten

Release Date

January 10, 2025

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The Last Showgirl is now playing in theaters. Check out the trailer:

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