“It’s a compliment, I think. Everyone wants to be sexy. There are worse things you could call me.”

So started the conversation with Canadian expat Pamela Anderson on Sunday afternoon, the final celebrity to take the stage at the Stampede Corral for the 2019 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. It’s the obligatory question for those who are perhaps known more for their looks than range as a thespian. Does she mind being known as “one of the world’s biggest sex symbols?”

Well, apparently not. But the Vancouver Island native and former star of Baywatch made clear that she is much more interested in life as a mother and animal-rights activist these days. There were more shout-outs to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and championing of veganism than you could count during the 45-minute panel, with the actress saying that her reputation as a sex symbol has actually been useful not only in making activism sexy but also as a way to catch people by surprise.

“It’s kind of a secret weapon,” she says. “When someone doesn’t think you’re intelligent but then you form a full sentence, you’re a genius.”

While much of the conversation revolved around Anderson’s work as an animal-rights and environmental activist, it was not without its tasty tidbits about the less-serious side of her career.

Born in Ladysmith, B.C., Anderson initially gained fame for her Playboy Playmate of the Month spreads and for her role as the red-swimsuited C.J. Parker in Baywatch in the 1990s. On Sunday, we learned that Anderson never worked out during her Baywatch stint, despite it being stipulated in her contract that she couldn’t gain weight. We learned that the late Marvel guru Stan Lee suggested that nudity be incorporated into the 2003 cartoon series Stripperella, where the titular character was based on and voiced by Anderson.

“It was a little bit naughty for me, even,” she said. “I didn’t know if I should do that. My kids were growing up. Not that that stopped me from much else.”

As for her relationship with her ex-husband, drummer Tommy Lee, Anderson addressed it after a question was asked about the tell-all book The Dirt, which focused on the wild years of Lee and his Motley Crue bandmates.

She hasn’t read the book nor seen the Netflix film based on it. But she isn’t surprised that she didn’t make her way into the film.

“I was in the book but it was garbage and it wasn’t true,” she said. “So I’m sure they didn’t want to put that in the movie and be liable for anything. Tommy and I speak and are friends and are both in our kids’ lives.”

Finally, we learned that the 2005 Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson raised $250,000 for PETA. That was really the only reason she did it. Besides, she found a clever way to deflect attention while being roasted.

“Who else can I get involved?” she said. “Who else can I share the attention with? That’s the trick. When you’re on a roast, get other people that are crazy. I had Courtney Love, Tommy my ex and I got Andy Dick. I just got a bunch of people that I knew they could pick on, too.”

source: calgaryherald