Pamela Anderson has doubled down on her controversial #MeToo comments that caused quite a stir in 2017. The “Baywatch” star also discussed the type of “feminism” that she grew up with.
In November 2017, Anderson gave an interview with Megyn Kelly for the “Today” show. At the time, the #MeToo movement was a massive story around the world. The “Me Too” movement hit Hollywood hard as women came forward to accuse men in power of sexual harassment and abuse. More than 80 women have accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior as well as criminal sexual harassment and rape.
During the “Today” interview, Kelly asked Anderson about predatory Hollywood producers like Weinstein.
“It was common knowledge that certain producers or certain people in Hollywood or people to avoid, privately,” Anderson told Kelly. “You know what you’re getting into if you’re going into a hotel room alone.”
Anderson continued, “When I came to Hollywood, of course I had a lot of offers to do private auditions and things that made absolutely no sense. Just common sense: don’t go into a hotel room alone. If someone enters a door in a bathrobe, leave. These things that are common sense.”
When Kelly asked about Weinstein having agents and assistants escorting actresses to what they believed to be a business meeting, Anderson said that wasn’t a “good excuse.”
She responded, “Send somebody with them. I think there’s easy ways to remedy that. That’s not a good excuse.”
“I know that Hollywood is very seductive and these people want to be famous,” the “Barb Wire” actress added. “Sometimes you think you’re going to be safe with an adult in the room.”
Anderson said, “Somehow I’ve dodged it all. I’ve been offered lots of things.”
Anderson said that she was offered “money, homes, and roles in movies,” but declined them because “it didn’t appeal” to her because she’s a “romantic.”
There was immediate backlash to Anderson’s comments from the “Today” show interview, and some accused her of victim-blaming.
In a new piece for Interview Magazine, journalist Ronan Farrow asked Anderson about her #MeToo comments from 2017.
Anderson declared, “I could even take it a step further. My mother would tell me — and I think this is the kind of feminism I grew up with — it takes two to tango.”
“Believe me, I’ve been in many situations where it’s like, ‘Come in here little girl, sit on the bed.’ But my mom would say, ‘If someone answers the door in a hotel robe and you’re going for an interview, don’t go in. But if you do go in, get the job.’ That’s a horrible thing to say but that’s how I was,” the 52-year-old model added.
“I skated on the edges of destruction, I just had this sense of value and self-worth,” Anderson explained. “But I think a lot of people don’t have that or they weren’t taught that.”
Anderson conceded, “Thank god for the #MeToo movement because things have changed and people are much more careful and respectful.”
Speaking about modeling for Playboy, Anderson recalled, “Looking back on those times, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, these men are sexist.’ I didn’t really know what that meant. I was just thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m here in this industry, this is how it works. I was in Playboy, so maybe I deserve it.'”
“I was coming from a much more innocent place. I wasn’t stupid — naive maybe — but I had a pretty strong sense of self,” she added. “I always felt that when I was older I would recognize myself, that I just had to get through that time.”
Anderson has been in promotional mode in recent weeks to support her new memoir, “Love, Pamela,” and her new Netflix documentary, “Pamela, a Love Story.” In the projects, the former Playboy Playmate reveals how she dealt with sexual abuse and harassment in her personal and professional lives.
Anderson made headlines last month when it came to light that she made accusations in her memoir of comedic actor Tim Allen exposing himself to her on the first day of filming of the 1990s sitcom “Home Improvement.”
Allen has vehemently denied the accusations, “No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing.”
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