(Pamela Anderson) I brought all of my life experience to the role and let Gia just kind of have her way with me.

(Amber Renee Dixon) How Pamela Anderson prepared to play a Las Vegas icon in the new Gia Coppola film, The Last Showgirl, that's this week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt.

-Welcome to Nevada Week.

I'm Amber Renee Dixon.

Can Las Vegas be the next Hollywood?

That's one of several questions I asked Pamela Anderson, who, in early 2024 filmed The Last Showgirl in Las Vegas in 18 days.

In theaters now, The Last Showgirl is based on the closing of Jubilee at Bally's in 2016.

Anderson plays the movie's main character, Shelly, a Las Vegas showgirl who learns her show has been canceled.

It's a role that director Gia Coppola wanted her to play after seeing the Baywatch actress in her 2023 Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story.

Anderson's son co-produced the documentary, and it was through him that Coppola finally got the script in front of Anderson.

I recently spoke with the actress at a screening of The Last Showgirl at the Beverly Theater in Downtown Las Vegas.

♪♪♪ This character in what ways, if any, did you identify with her?

-Oh, my goodness, with so much of it.

I mean, there's definitely parallels, but that was just the jumping off point.

I wanted to transform and create a character.

And, you know, it was a wonderful story and great director.

It's all about the director and the actor and how we can collaborate.

And so it was really fun to, you know, create Shelly with Gia.

-And will you tell me about the difference between this director versus, you know, the Baywatch director that told you, Just pretend like it's real.

-Everyone pretend it's real... Action.

That was-- I hate to-- I don't want to-- I loved Baywatch , and I took it very seriously.

People don't want to understand that, but I did.

I've always been interested in the craft of acting.

I didn't know where to start.

I remember taking classes, and then I've been taking private lessons since I was on Broadway and then doing this movie.

And I just did Naked Gun and another film with Karim Ainouz, this incredible film, Rosebush Pruning.

And I've-- every little bit has taught me something.

I mean, even Barb Wire taught me something.

It just, it's just so many pieces of the puzzle you have to put together for yourself.

And I know I took a real unorthodox route and a long, kind of windy road to get here.

And everybody does it different, but no regrets.

-What were your preparations like for this film?

-Boy.

Well, I have a great acting teacher, Ivana Chubbuck, and we worked for months on this movie.

And like I said, I prepared for this like I would a play.

I knew all the words, obviously, inside out and backwards before I even got to Las Vegas.

(male voice) You have an act prepared?

-I do.

I'm a dancer.

-Music?

-Yeah.

I gave it to the maestro.

But I also wanted to be open enough and bring enough experience.

I brought all of my life experience to the role and let Gia just kind of have her way with me.

I mean, she was the one who-- I knew when she said she had it, she had it.

And we didn't have many takes.

We shot on film.

We shot in 18 days.

So it was-- the stakes were high, which is, I think that's, that's my favorite kind of life.

-From what I've read, you had tea with former showgirls here in Las Vegas?

What was that like?

What did they tell you?

-Oh, well, yes, I met with a lot of Jubilee dancers, and I had them over for tea at my house.

I stayed at my ex-husband's house.

I actually-- -Here in Las Vegas?

-So I just called him and said, I'm staying at the house while I'm shooting the film.

So I had them come over, and I made tea for everybody.

And we talked about different stories and some do's and don'ts and some things that they were really, was really important to them, that showgirls are not burlesque performers, for instance.

And I just took a lot of their, so much pride and still how they held themselves in their everyday life, just like dancers.

And obviously, showgirls, they probably have had a lot of dance experience in their life and then maybe just didn't make it as a ballerina, but maybe wanted to be a showgirl, maybe too tall.

And it was interesting to hear the stories of how they became showgirls and then what did they do after their career.

So those were questions I was asking.

-What kind of responsibility did you feel to represent them in what way, accurately?

-Well, I was nervous.

I mean, I really wanted to show the film here.

It was really important to me to make sure we were doing all these screenings all over the world.

I said, What about Vegas?

We have to show it at Vegas before it comes out and to show our respect for the Vegas community and everybody that helped us.

And that's what I wanted, to make them proud.

They said today that they were very proud and very happy, a lot of tears, and that's what you want.

-So 18 days in Las Vegas, that's a short time.

But you have a long history here.

Do you have a favorite memory?

-I have a lot of mixed emotions, like we all do when it comes to Las Vegas, but no regrets.

And I just, I love the nostalgia.

I mean, I think that a lot of culture came from here, the '60s, I thought, with music and, you know, the Rat Pack and all those times.

I was always really fascinated with those times.

And I feel like that was American culture at that time.

So Vegas really is just loaded with stories and people coming here for all over the world-- from all over the world, because it's magnetic.

There's something drawing you here.

It's seductive, and I thought that was why Vegas was such a beautiful character in the movie as well.

It's just so full of life, and you just, everywhere you turn is a picture.

-And what about the potential for Las Vegas to become a Hollywood 2.0, as Mark Wahlberg would like it to be?

-Well, I think Vegas is really kind of untapped when it comes to filmmaking.

And we were able to, you know, shoot in places that no one's seen, like Vegas during the day is really interesting.

I say Vegas during the day is like a woman without makeup.

It's a, it's approachable, it's vulnerable, but it's also real.

It's just something very interesting about it.

And so that was exciting to be able to share that in this film as well.

And I mean, just the deserts.

You know, I love road trips, and I drove from Vancouver to Las Vegas, so from the north, and it's like showing up on the moon.

I mean, the landscapes are so beautiful.

-You drove here?

-Well, I didn't drive myself.

I was a passenger, but we did a road trip.

You don't want me driving.

But it was just gorgeous.

-When was this?

-To get here to shoot the film from Vancouver, because-- -I thought you took a plane.

-No, not today.

Not today, no, when I shot the film.

Sorry, I'm all over the place.

But I just-- and to go home every night to those really beautiful, fiery sunsets.

I mean, there's really beautiful-- the landscapes here are just gorgeous.

-And then when you look at this film and you take yourself back to when you made the documentary a couple years ago, I think a lot of Americans got to know you then, and I, at least, wonder, are you proud of yourself?

-I just feel like I've just scratched the surface.

I feel like I'm just starting.

I feel like my career is just starting right now, that I had to do a lot of-- I had to learn a lot about myself, you know, in order to be able to play a role like this.

So I'm really excited about doing more, and I never thought it would happen, which makes it even more sweet.

It makes it more sweet when it's unexpected.

So it's exciting that everyone's really resonating with the film, that I'm, I'm being, you know, recognized for something.

I don't know.

It just feels-- it's so, it's surreal.

It's surreal, but it's also very exciting and also very scary.

But I like that.

-What's scary about it, and what did you learn about yourself?

-Oh, my gosh.

Well, I mean, scary things are always interesting to explore.

I think a lot of it just comes from insecurity, but I always knew that I was capable of more than I was doing.

But I didn't think-- I didn't know how I would get the opportunity to share that.

And so that's what was wonderful about Gia, to have the vision, to be able to see the documentary and be able to, you know, weed through the nonsense and see a person aching to express herself as an artist that necessarily-- that I didn't think it was going to happen.

And it did.

So it's never too late.

-And she tracked you down?

-And she tracked me down through my son.

I mean, everyone gets to me through my son.

Brandon is the gatekeeper.

-And his role in your future?

-Brandon is, he's a wonderful producer.

He's a great actor, and, you know, Dylan's a great musician.

They have a lot of businesses.

We do a lot of things together, but I'm just, I love watching them, you know, create these businesses.

And they just say to me, Mom, all you need to do is be you.

You've earned it.

You deserve it.

And we just want to create a space where you can explore who you are and see what you're made of.

Have the freedom now.

We're grown and, you know, and I-- It's just, I have the time now and I have to focus, so it's exciting.

-Pamela Anderson, thank you for your time.

-Thank you.

♪♪♪ -Anderson's portrayal of Shelly earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

And as she said in that interview, part of her research for the role included talking with former Las Vegas showgirls.

One of them was also Jubilee's final Stage Manager, Diane Palm.

Nevada Week sat down with her, along with Producer and Performer Amy Saunders, also known as Miss Behave, to discuss this period of Las Vegas entertainment and whether it could ever return.

All right, so Diane, I want to start with you.

The movie's production team, how did this work?

They sought you out to give advice to Pamela Anderson?

(Diane Palm) Well, it actually went a little further than that, because they had actually come to me about six, seven months prior to the shooting, because they really wanted to try and be more authentic with the experiences that the character was going through.

So someone had put them in touch with me, and which I really appreciated, because there's so many myths and stories and everything that gets out there from a lot of the movies in the past and things like this.

So I really appreciated that they wanted to come and discuss with me and ask me even just simple things like, Well, are the dancers in a union?

You know, because unless you're here working, you wouldn't know the answers to those questions.

And then right before they started shooting, Pamela had asked.

She wanted to meet myself and asked if I could bring maybe another girl or two who had been in the show.

And she invited us to her house.

And so we went over to her house, because she has a place here, and, you know, we just had a really nice time.

We were, we were showing her how to stand, what to remember when you put the costumes on, because they are quite elaborate and they are very large and there's certain ways you have to stand and you have to walk and you have to brace yourself.

You know, not knowing exactly what she would be doing in the film, we wanted to give her as much advice as we could.

-So I am curious.

What irritates you when you see performed, about a showgirl, that is one of those myths you were talking about?

-That they're a stripper, that they have no background in dance whatsoever, and also the fact that you can go and learn a routine and perform it in the show that night.

Because in our case, everyone rehearsed for four weeks, six days a week, to get into the show.

It takes that long to learn all the choreography.

It's not just the on-stage choreography, but you have the backstage choreography going on as well so you don't have a collision backstage, you don't run into the wrong dressing room, you don't put the wrong costume on.

It's very choreographed as far as what has to go on where and when it has to go on, and everything else.

So sometimes that gets a little creative.

-So with everything that you told Pamela Anderson, what did you think of her performance and of the film?

-You know, I really like the film, I have to say.

I thought it was interesting that they wanted to show this character who her whole life had been part of this show, which is a long-running show very much like Jubilee, and then it unexpectedly closes.

What does she do, because her whole identity that she's constructed has been built around her role in this show.

And now what does she do?

-And in this film, she talks about the show that will be replacing Jubilee and describes it as the "dirty circus."

So the entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, John Katsilometes, he wrote that he thought that was a direct nod to Absinthe.

I thought the same thing when I saw the film, but I want to ask you, Amy, what did you think?

You were an original member of Absinthe.

Did you think this was a point to Absinthe?

(Amy Saunders) I think it was a point to this cyclical nature of Vegas.

So I think it's Absinthe, that's a very in-joke or in point for some people in Vegas.

Ultimately, I think what probably began the cycle was Cirque.

And so I think it's, it's a, yes, it's probably at Absinthe.

I can see that it was a disruptor, but ultimately, at its core, it's a variety show.

And I think that there was a period of time where people want something a bit grittier.

And I think that's what, when it came in, that's what it served to do.

-People forget--going back to this cycle of things going in fashion, out of fashion, in fashion--there was a period of time where you still, the entertainment here was so rich and varied.

So you had the big production shows, but you also had smaller shows that were in a smaller venue or maybe in a lounge situation.

There was a show called Bare Touch of Vegas, and it was called that because it was a very bare bones, but very body conscious, you know, type of choreography and dancing and staging.

But you know, things come and go in waves, and so that was gone, and people have forgotten that there used to be really quite, quite sexy shows, not just the big production shows here.

-And to speak to that, actually specifically the lounges, the lounges is why Vegas has got the reputation in my comedy nerd world, my entertainment nerd world, the reputation in entertainment history.

It's because of what was happening in the lounges.

There has been no one has come close to Louie Prima and Keeley Smith, like what they used to do.

And when performers would go in and jump in on the action, that, I would do anything to bring that back.

-How accurate was that description, back when Jubilee was closing, that shows that were coming in were part of this dirty circus?

Was that historically accurate?

I mean, Absinthe was not the show that technically replaced Jubilee.

What did it end up being, do you know?

-No, I don't.

I think it stayed empty for a long time afterwards.

You know, for me, the thing I thought was pretty realistic was in the dressing room where the girl is saying, Oh, do you want me to show you the choreography for this audition?

And actually, that is very true, because usually any audition you would go to, whether it was for a hair show or a TV show, you know, if you knew the choreography ahead of time, you'd share it with your friends in the dressing room.

But I did think that was very funny, you know, the whole bit with her doing that.

And it was very much showing, okay, this is the difference between a Jubilee or a production show where, you know, you have to have actual dance training.

The first thing we used to make them do is a series of ballet turns across the stage, doing a series of chainé and piqué turns.

So that definitely showed the difference how things had changed, going from a technical aspect of being a technical dancer to being one who, you know, bends over on a chair and grabs her bum.

So that was pretty accurate.

-Although what I would also say and, again, what I've done for years, whether you call it vaudeville, music hall, variety, I call it small businesses working together.

Plug and play.

And so what we do and have done, I mean, through back to the Chitlin' Circuit or even back to commedia in the 13th century is just sort of a traveling player that is independent, but can slot into many things.

So-- and they would go in between.

So in production shows, exactly what you're talking about, but in between, when you would have a specialty act, that specialty act can work within a production.

It can also go down the road and do exactly the same thing in a bar.

It can also then jump on the road and go touring and do that anywhere, because it is a self-contained little thing.

So most of my career has been working with and arranging lots of little things together.

So you're like, here's a slow, beautiful little thing.

Here's a fast, funny little thing.

Here-- you know.

And then that's where you end up with variety, which is literally a variety of things.

-Which is what Absinthe is?

-Yes.

There's a bit more story with Absinthe, but, yes, exactly.

However, I feel that the, the mockery of production shows-- and these things happen cyclically.

I mean, my interest, my massive interest, is comedy.

And at a certain point with comedy, sort of in the '80s, when they got fed up with the men in shirt, you know, frilly shirts, wearing suits, they all went into jeans and T-shirts.

And that's, that's a response to that.

But then as the cycle turns, get back into a suit, dammit.

You look a mess!

And what you're, while you're wearing this uniform, it's 20 years out of date.

You know, it's the same magicians, they wear the top hat and tails.

That goes back hundreds of years.

You don't have to wear a top hat and tails.

You can think about it.

-What are you referring to when you say the "mockery"?

-I think that cyclically, as Jubilee was going as large production-- before my time here, but the understanding of how our business works is there was probably like, Oh, production shows.

What we need is to come in and bup-bup-bup.

And now those production shows have gone.

And personally, I do think there is a market for it, because if you look at a Cirque show from the volume of cast and crew and expense, that's probably the same cost as a big old production show with lots of showgirls in it.

And if I could pick, I want to see the production show with the showgirls in it, please.

In part because Cirque has been here 30 years, the cycle has moved around again.

-And the formula that you're talking about would certainly be more cost effective.

And that was a reason that Jubilee ended, correct?

I mean, how much did it cost to put that on?

-If I was to look at the budget between a Cirque show and a Jubilee, I'd be interested to see, because I honestly don't know.

I mean, Cirque has, what-- -I was reading, I mean, $10 million, but this was back-- -Well, yeah, when the show first opened, it cost $10 million.

-And that was 1981.

-That was 1981.

-But when any show-- okay.

So, yes, now let's use another example.

In 2023, Awakening opened, and it cost $150 million.

-Wow.

-And it had less cast, less costuming, less special effects.

-And it was critically received very well.

-Yes.

Well, the difference is, is all of the big production shows, like I said, they were owned by, they were paid for, they were owned by the casinos.

So everybody who worked in those properties were hired by the casinos.

So we were all employees of the casinos.

We were not employees of Donn Arden.

We were employees of the casinos, whereas your cast-- -Yeah.

-Donn Arden, being the choreographer?

-No, no.

He was, he conceived, created, directed.

He did everything.

It was his vision, all of these shows, and he just didn't do Jubilee.

He did the Lido in Paris.

He did at the Desert Inn, the Hello America series.

He did the Lido at the Stardust.

He did ice shows.

He did nightclubs.

He really was well rounded, a typical impresario.

-Which off camera, both of you told me doesn't really exist in Las Vegas anymore?

-No.

-Okay.

So you talk about the corporate change within casinos, but then there were fewer people attending these shows, the Jubilee show, and that was portrayed in the film.

Why were fewer people coming?

How could the casino-- -Everything, everything gets dated.

Right time.

So there was a point, I would guess, where this has been a staple, things are moving, we need something fresh, so it's feeling dated.

Now, it is not.

Like the cycle-- this is one of the things I've found for me, it's like, why are there no, why is there not a lot of Elvis impersonators in shows in Las Vegas?

I want to see one.

I want to see-- -There was at one point.

-Exactly.

And then it got, quote marks, dated.

But nobody's checked in, because the last-- that was 30 years ago.

We want to see them.

-The nice thing about us is that we did regularly update and put in new numbers to generate more interest, to say, Come back and see Jubilee again.

We've changed things out.

We've done this and everything else.

But in order to get that word out there, you do need to have some sort of a campaign to make the show relevant again for people, and that's difficult.

There was a period, I think back in the '80s, where they almost closed the Rockettes in New York City.

You know, maybe it was earlier than that, in the '70s, because it was the same situation.

Here was a big production.

It was attracting less and less.

It was less cool to go see it, you know?

But they turned it around with a huge marketing campaign, and now it's a staple, right?

You go to New York City at Christmas, you see the Rockettes.

And you know, it's there for a period, and you do your thing.

So yes, I think that was something that could have made a difference.

-And to be clear on Cirque, I don't think the Cirque is dated.

I think that, as with everything, as a thing grows, you end up having to split focus.

So there is a lot of Cirque, and Cirque has a very clear identity.

And so I think Vegas is an ever-changing landscape.

And back to that cycle, right now, it feels like what we want is more intimate, more-- less grand scale spectacle of 700 people jumping around doing things we can't possibly.

Maybe like two, you know?

-The show that you do now, Miss Behave's Mavericks at the Plaza downtown, why is it working?

-It is working, and I'm very happy about this.

It is working because affordable tickets, no ticketing fee, cheap bar, free parking, an amazing showroom.

Oh, and by the way, the show's great.

Because that's what I think people need right now.

They want-- they don't need your agenda.

They don't need to, like, no one's got any money at the moment.

We're all strapped.

So what you want-- and one of the taglines I wanted to use was, Cheaper than a good night out, you know, because ultimately, you need to be feeling like you've been taken care of.

It's the focus is on you, not us.

We are not here to put a show on for you.

We're here to entertain you.

So if you're not entertained, we're not doing our job.

-These women that no longer had jobs at Jubilee-- -And men.

-And men--what did they go on to do?

-Well, here's the thing.

You know, most people understand that dancing is not a lifelong career, to be on stage.

Whether you're in a ballet company, whether you're, you know, in a production show, wherever you're at, one is the physicality of it.

It's so hard on your body, and especially the schedule that we have.

You know, Broadway shows do eight shows a week.

We were doing 12 to 13 shows a week.

And the shows were anywhere from an hour and a half to two-and-a-half hours.

So that's a lot of wear and tear on your bodies.

And contrary to what people think, you didn't just walk across the stage, you actually danced.

So most people are realistic enough to know that, okay, I may have a run of a couple years.

I may be lucky and have 10 years.

I may be even luckier and have 15 years.

But in the back of their minds, usually everyone was preparing to say, Okay, when I can't do this anymore, that's why I'm going to school now at UNLV.

That's why I'm taking courses to do this.

That's why-- you know, we've had so many people have become so many other professions, from real estate to nursing to physicians to lawyers to teachers.

It's whatever it is that they want to go to.

So you want to look at that time in the show as your little jewel of a time, I think, to say, you know what?

That was so much fun to be in the show.

And for most people, it was.

So I think in that aspect, it was, you know, her particular character wasn't necessarily the character's choice of the people in the show.

Most people had someplace to go.

They had a plan in mind.

They knew what was coming down.

-It served the drama as the movie.

-I see.

Diane Palm, Amy Saunders, thank you so much for joining Nevada Week.

-Which we loved.

-The movie is fabulous.

Go see it.

It's fantastic.

-And thank you for watching.

We want to mention that Vegas PBS produced its own documentary about the legacy of Las Vegas showgirls.

It's called The Showgirl, a Las Vegas Icon, and can be seen on our website vegaspbs.org.

We also did a Nevada Week In Person episode with Amy Saunders, aka Miss Behave, who you heard from in the previous interview.

To see it, go to vegaspbs.org/nevadaweek, and I'll see you next week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪