Pamela Anderson Didn't Know HerLast ShowgirlCostar Dave Bautista Was Bald During Filming

Mar. 15, 2025

Pamela Anderson, Dave Bautista.Photo:Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty; Robin Marchant/Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty; Robin Marchant/Getty

Pamela Anderson’s costarDave Bautistawent through quite a transformation to filmThe Last Showgirl.During a Wednesday, Jan. 8, appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Anderson, 57, told hostJimmy Fallonthat she didn’t realize her costar was bald until she saw him without his character’s wig.“He’s such, like, a gentle giant,” the actress said. “I didn’t know that he didn’t have hair. I saw him with the wig and then I saw him at the party and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ He’s wearing diamonds and pearls and this suit and I was like, ‘Where’s my gentle giant?'“In the Gia Coppola-directed flick, which hit theaters on Jan. 8, Anderson plays Shelly, a veteran Las Vegas showgirl who is mourning the end of her long-running show. Bautista, 55, plays the venue’s producer, Eddie.Dave Bautista in ‘The Last Showgirl.'.Courtesy of Roadside AttractionsTheBaywatchalum also told Fallon, 50, that she spoke to real Las Vegas showgirls as part of her research for the role. “I had the showgirls come to my house,” she recalled. “I had tea with them and we talked showgirl stories, like what they did after the show, all the showgirl dos and don’ts.“Her performance inThe Last Showgirlhas received critical acclaim, earning her bothGolden GlobeandSAG Awardnominations.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!In an interview withBustlepublished Jan. 7,the actress’ costar BrendaSong shared that Anderson’smakeup-free lifestyleinfluenced the rest of the cast on set.While the actresses sported heavy glam as showgirls, Song, 36, said thatthey wore no makeup on their faceswhatsoever for the off-stage scenes.“The first day we tried makeup on and Gia was like, ‘It doesn’t feel real.’ And Pam was like, ‘These women don’t have time for it,’” Song recalled. “And Pamela being Pamela, she goes, ‘I’m not doing it. You guys shouldn’t do it either.’”Pamela Anderson in ‘The Last Showgirl.'.Zoey GrossmanNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I wanted to just how Shelly would be if she’s going to the grocery store,” Anderson told PEOPLE. “I justwanted it to be raw and real, and I was ready for that and prepared for that and excited about that.”The actress also shared that she would turn away from the mirror while getting ready to film each day.“I didn’t want that to be in my head at all about the way that I looked, unless it was in the showgirl mirrors [in the movie],” she explained.

Pamela Anderson’s costarDave Bautistawent through quite a transformation to filmThe Last Showgirl.

During a Wednesday, Jan. 8, appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Anderson, 57, told hostJimmy Fallonthat she didn’t realize her costar was bald until she saw him without his character’s wig.

“He’s such, like, a gentle giant,” the actress said. “I didn’t know that he didn’t have hair. I saw him with the wig and then I saw him at the party and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ He’s wearing diamonds and pearls and this suit and I was like, ‘Where’s my gentle giant?'”

In the Gia Coppola-directed flick, which hit theaters on Jan. 8, Anderson plays Shelly, a veteran Las Vegas showgirl who is mourning the end of her long-running show. Bautista, 55, plays the venue’s producer, Eddie.

Dave Bautista in ‘The Last Showgirl.'.Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

TheBaywatchalum also told Fallon, 50, that she spoke to real Las Vegas showgirls as part of her research for the role. “I had the showgirls come to my house,” she recalled. “I had tea with them and we talked showgirl stories, like what they did after the show, all the showgirl dos and don’ts.”

Her performance inThe Last Showgirlhas received critical acclaim, earning her bothGolden GlobeandSAG Awardnominations.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

In an interview withBustlepublished Jan. 7,the actress’ costar BrendaSong shared that Anderson’smakeup-free lifestyleinfluenced the rest of the cast on set.

While the actresses sported heavy glam as showgirls, Song, 36, said thatthey wore no makeup on their faceswhatsoever for the off-stage scenes.

“The first day we tried makeup on and Gia was like, ‘It doesn’t feel real.’ And Pam was like, ‘These women don’t have time for it,’” Song recalled. “And Pamela being Pamela, she goes, ‘I’m not doing it. You guys shouldn’t do it either.’”

Pamela Anderson in ‘The Last Showgirl.'.Zoey Grossman

Zoey Grossman

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I wanted to just how Shelly would be if she’s going to the grocery store,” Anderson told PEOPLE. “I justwanted it to be raw and real, and I was ready for that and prepared for that and excited about that.”

The actress also shared that she would turn away from the mirror while getting ready to film each day.“I didn’t want that to be in my head at all about the way that I looked, unless it was in the showgirl mirrors [in the movie],” she explained.

source: people.com