Pamela

PLAYMATE. ACTRESS. ACTIVIST. ICON. PAMELA ANDERSON REDEFINES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BOMBSHELL. FOR HER HISTORIC SHOOT AT THE PLAYBOY MANSION, PLAYBOY CONTRIBUTOR JAMES FRANCO FINDS OUT WHAT MAKES PAMELA RUN I t's hard to believe it has been more than 26 years since a ravishing and spirited young woman from Vancouver Island made her first appearance in playboy, but 13 covers later it's clear Pamela Denise Anderson has secured a place in history as our most beloved Playmate. For her re- cord 14th cover, we enlisted James Franco to interview the Marilyn Monroe of our time. The resulting conversation between these two creative minds is breezy, a little brainy and the antithesis of boring. FRANCO: Let's go back to October 1989. Tell me how your first cover happened. You were spotted at a football game, right? ANDERSON: [Laughs] Yeah. The camera- man zoomed in on me and everyone screamed and yelled, so they brought me down to the 50-yard line. I was wearing a Labatt Blue T-shirt, and Labatt ended up giving me a com- mercial. From there, playboy called and flew me down. I'd never been on a plane before. FRANCO: You hadn't? ANDERSON: No. I came from a tiny town, Ladysmith, on Vancouver Island. FRANCO: How was the shoot? ANDERSON: The photographer shot me in one roll of film be- cause I was nervous and throwing up. But then I saw the pic- tures, and from there it was hard to keep my clothes on! I was painfully shy before, but then it clicked in my head that no- body cares what you look like naked except you. People are more concerned about themselves and their own flaws. FRANCO: How old were you then? ANDERSON: Twenty-two. FRANCO: Why do you think you were shy? ANDERSON: I think society tells you you're supposed to be mod- est, but I didn't have a very modest family. My dad was a bad boy and my mom was a buxom blonde bombshell. In response, I tried to control my environment. FRANCO: What did you want to be before playboy came calling? ANDERSON: I didn't know. I've always been very imaginative, and I thought I would do something creative. I just knew I had to get out of my small town. I never wanted to be in this industry; I didn't know that option existed for me. It wasn't something I pursued. But I guess I've done pretty well for myself just going with the flow. FRANCO: What's the craziest thing that has happened to you at the Mansion? ANDERSON: Oh dear, so much. But you know, when people kiss and tell, they're usually lying. I don't want to get too detailed, but I'm sure one of my sons was conceived there, [laughs] FRANCO: Tell me about your recent return to acting. ANDERSON: Now that my kids are grown, I've had fun over the past year doing some great little projects, like the in- die film The People Garden and the short film Connected by photographer-director Luke Gilford. These projects are more character driven and unlike anything I've experienced be- fore. I'm experimenting. I still don't know if I'm any good at acting, but I'm taking it a lot more seriously now, and I'm fascinated. I've been fortunate to have some incredibly cre­ative people around me who want to give me opportunities. Like Werner Herzog called me FRANCO: Really? What did he say? ANDERSON: Well, first I thought, Holy crap, the man who di­rected Fitzcarraldo wants to meet with me! We had lunch at Chateau Marmont, and he told me, "You are something spe­cial. You need to be on the big screen." I couldn't believe he said that. He has a project in mind for me, and I hope it ma­terializes. The fact that I'm on his radar is really flattering. FRANCO: You have so many qualities, but my guess is when people think of you, they think first of your beauty. What is it like to live a life like that? ANDERSON: I don't quite know how to answer that. I don't think of myself as beautiful, but I know I have a deep, sensual drive. People respond to that more than physicality because your spirit never ages. I'm a bit of an exhibitionist, and I like being playful and having fun. FRANCO: It seems to me you don't hide from what you are. ANDERSON: Well, you have to be yourself. That's the hard­est thing to be. I've been in professional environments where people have tried to change me, and that's when I become like the Hulk and just rip them off my back. Then I'm back to be­ing myself. I try to live my life as honestly as I can. FRANCO: I have your Playmate Data Sheet from 1990. ANDERSON: Oh dear. FRANCO: Under "Ambitions" you wrote, "To win an Oscar." ANDERSON: How funny is that? It was a joke! FRANCO: But who knows? ANDERSON: You never know. FRANCO: If you do Werner's movie, then maybe. What are your ambitions today? ANDERSON: I don't know what's next, but I feel like something is percolating. I don't know if it's a movie or if it's a love affair, but something is trying to get me, and I'm open to it. [laughs] FRANCO: For turn-ons you wrote, "Sincerity, honesty, strong arms, waffles and fried chicken." ANDERSON: That's because Mario took me to a waffle and fried chicken place—this was before I stopped eating chicken. FRANCO: Mario who? Mario Van Peebles? ANDERSON: Yeah. FRANCO: Did you date him? ANDERSON: Kind of. Yeah. Maybe. FRANCO: So when you wrote that, you were thinking about a date with Mario at Roscoe's Waffles. ANDERSON: Probably! [laughs] FRANCO: What do you like now? ANDERSON: Honesty and sincerity. You know, that's hard to find around here. But someone unusual, that's for sure. FRANCO: "Turnoffs: Possessive men, jealous people, insensi­tive people and split ends." I'm guessing possessive men are still a turnoff. ANDERSON: Yes, they are, but they're everywhere. It's hard to love without attachment, even for me. FRANCO: Last one: "Being a Playmate means: The start of some­thing big." Do you think that was true? ANDERSON: I think so. I always thought I would stay in Los Angeles if I found work, and if I didn't, I would go home. And then the work never ended. I think I've had a pretty fun life. FRANCO: I'll say. STYLING BY ADELE CANY; HAIR BY JOHN RUGGIERO USING BUMBLE AND BUMBLE AT STARWORKS ARTISTS; MAKEUP BY KATE LEE USING CHANEL ILLUSION D'OMBRE AT STARWORKS ARTISTS; MANICURE BY KIMMIE KYEES AT CELESTINE AGENCY: PRODUCTION DESIGN BY ANNIE SPERLING AT ARTISTRY