Hollywood actor Pamela Anderson has opened up about the psychological cost of fame and fortune, warning that unchecked wealth and global celebrity can leave a person hollow. The remarks come as Anderson prepares for the release of her new film Alma, in which she plays a callous mother navigating themes of sex and abuse.

The Emptiness Behind the Spotlight

Anderson, who rose to global recognition playing lifeguard 'C.J.' Parker in the iconic 1990s series Baywatch, reflected candidly on the darker side of superstardom. 'I do believe there's this kind of emptiness that comes from wealth for no good reason,' she said, in remarks that cut against the aspirational gloss typically associated with Hollywood success.

The comment arrives at a moment when Anderson is widely regarded as having engineered one of the more remarkable career revivals in recent entertainment history, following her acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl.

On Alma and Its Difficult Themes

Alma, which Anderson describes as a passion project, does not court easy audiences. The film tackles sex and abuse head-on, and Anderson has been candid that it will be divisive. 'It's not going to be for everybody. People are going to have feelings about it. It's not an easy ride. But that's what the movie's for,' she told People.

The willingness to take on morally complex roles reflects a deliberate pivot in how Anderson is shaping this chapter of her career — one defined less by image and more by artistic risk.

Rejecting the Sex Symbol Label

Anderson also revisited her long-standing discomfort with being cast as a sex symbol, a status that Baywatch cemented globally in the 1990s. Speaking on the How To Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, she said: 'I don't like being a sex symbol. I mean, I think it's not very sexy. I think we all aspire to be sexy in our relationships, but sexy for the world is, I don't know.'

She elaborated that the attention it generated was unwelcome, even if she was reluctant to frame it as complaint. 'It brought a lot of attention I didn't like, but I hate to say that because I'm not complaining, but I do feel that is a slippery slope where you are presenting yourself to the world like this and you get this attention back that,' she added.

Going Makeup-Free and Embracing Authenticity

In recent years, Anderson has attracted significant attention for appearing makeup-free on red carpets — a choice she frames as personal and philosophical rather than performative. 'It can be even scary at times, me not wearing makeup and me being at this age, coming into this part of my career,' she said. 'I felt it was important for me in my personal life, to be more natural.'

She pushed back against reductive definitions of femininity, adding: 'I want to challenge myself and become and to be present myself in different ways because women are many things. We're not just the wild animal between the sheets.'

As Alma moves toward release, Anderson appears firmly committed to a version of herself — and her work — that resists easy categorisation.