You may think you know everything there is to know about Pamela Anderson if you’ve followed her career since her first Playboy issue in 1990. Once she announced her Netflix documentary, however, we discovered that there’s still so much more to learn about her. But before Pamela: A Love Story arrived on the streaming service, the Canadian-American actress and model had one request before agreeing to be a part of the project: to not let her see the finished work prior to its release.
It seemed as if we already got some insight into Pamela Anderson’s life when watching the miniseries Pam & Tommy starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the ‘90s icons (available with a Hulu subscription). However, that dramatization depicting the scandalous sex tape moment between her and her first husband, Tommy Lee, was a TV series that Anderson never got consulted about– which made her feel “sick.” This time around, though, the Baywatch actress got a sense of control back in releasing the documentary Pamela: A Love Story, where she unveils her life story in her own words. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Anderson explained how she was convinced to tell all in her Netflix documentary and it has to do with her son, Brandon Thomas Lee:
Brandon said, ‘Mom, I’m just so sick of people not knowing who you are; you should really do a documentary,’ and I was like, ‘No. Let’s just leave it alone. I’m in the woods. I’m just licking my wounds. I’m happy with my dogs.’ [Brandon] knew I always wanted to write my memoirs, and I was like, ‘I’m really curious about writing my book, but then I want to put it in a safe and when I die, you can put it out.’ He was like, ‘No, we’re doing this now.’
It appears that her actor/producer son just wouldn’t have it; he knew his mother had a story to tell that should exist outside of the Hulu series and her memoir, which came out the same day as the Netflix documentary. As explained in the trade interview, director Ryan White actually didn’t want to take part in Pamela: A Love Story when Brandon Thomas Lee approached him about it, feeling he didn’t want to evaluate someone’s life. But Anderson’s son was persistent with the filmmaker, telling him he thought they’d find each other “very funny” if they spoke. It only took one two-hour Zoom call with the Home Improvement actress to change White’s mind. If his preconceived notions of Anderson changed after one conversation, imagine what the documentary can do for an audience.
Just like Ryan White was sold on Pamela Anderson, she felt the same way about him after their friendly exchange. Nonetheless, this media personality still had one request once this documentary was to be released to the public.
He was talking to different directors. He had a couple come by, and then he introduced Ryan to me, and I was like, ‘I love Ryan, I will do whatever he wants.’ I don’t know how he seduced me into doing this. But between him and Brandon, I was like, ‘I feel safe.’ We just vibe together really well. I only had one request: Don’t show me anything. It has to be out in the world before I even see it.
I can understand her reservations about seeing it. This documentary has Pamela Anderson sharing personal details of her life while looking her most natural self. Before watching Pamela: A Love Story, it should be known that Anderson exposes several traumatic events in her life and how she overcame them. Through personal videos and journals, she starts at the beginning of her childhood followed by her rise to fame in the ‘90s. And, of course, talks about the unauthorized release of her and Tommy Lee’s sex tape. But this time around, Anderson is the one telling her story.
Pamela Anderson may not be watching her own documentary, but critics and audiences have and they love it. It currently has a critical score of 96% and a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. If you’d like to dive into the personal history of the Canadian Walk of Fame recipient, watch Pamela: A Love Story with your Netflix subscription.
