The actress is set to star as Roxie Hart in 'Chicago.'
Pamela Anderson is ready for her Broadway debut! ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 54-year-old actress in New York City on Wednesday, and she revealed why now is the perfect time to conquer The Great White Way.
The opportunity to star on Broadway was first presented to Anderson a decade ago, but, at the time, her sons with ex Tommy Lee were teens, and she "couldn't wrap my head around" being away from them. Now that Dylan and Brandon are 24 and 25 respectively, the chance to play Roxie Hart in Chicago was one she couldn't pass up.
"I'm excited and scared out of my mind," Anderson told ET of making her Broadway debut. "My kids are grown. [Producer] Barry Weissler called and said, 'It's time,' and it is."
"I needed something like this in my life at this moment. I really wanted to sink my teeth into something and I just really needed it," she added. "It's a crazy experience, just throwing yourself into something with the singing, the dancing, and the acting, the theater people around you. There is so much talent. It's a little intimidating, but I like doing scary things."
Anderson, who had been getting "really restless" in her day-to-day life, is excited to be busy with rehearsals and has been "soaking it up like a sponge."
"I'm just eating it up. I never would have thought I would even have the opportunity to do something like this, so I'm not gonna let myself down, number one, but I'm not gonna let anybody down. I'm not gonna let Barry down, my family down," she said. "My kids are my cheerleaders. Brandon’s here with me today and he's like, 'It's time, Mom. You deserve it.' As soon as you realize you deserve something, it comes."
As for the role itself, Anderson told ET that it's one she can relate to.
"It's a glamorous story. It's based on a true story, which is fantastic. It just shows you the power of media and perception," she said. "Also making something out of nothing, and creating, and realizing your dreams no matter how late they come. I can relate to that. I just feel like it's never too late."
"It just feels kind of meant to be," Anderson added. "... I just feel like this is something I've been rehearsing for my whole life and I'm doing it! I didn’t know if I could sing, or if I could dance, or if I could do anything -- I’m not saying I can, you have to come see -- but I’m surprising myself. I’m really doing this for me."
When it comes to what fans can expect from Anderson onstage, she teased that she's "got a few things up my sleeve."
"You bring your personality to it, you dig in there and see what else you got that no one else has," she said of adding her own spin to the role.
Anderson's experience on Broadway is one thing that fans can look forward to getting an inside look at when her Netflix documentary debuts.
"My kids really wanted me to do this," Anderson said of the documentary. "I just finished writing my memoir and that'll be out in eight months or so, and now the Netflix documentary is following me around."
"Broadway is part of it, the preparation, and the excitement, and everything being put into it. It's kind of just following me around a little bit," she added. "... There's lots to talk about, lots to find out."
Anderson is making her Broadway debut in Chicago beginning Tuesday, April 12 through Sunday, June 5. Tune in to Wednesday's episode of Entertainment Tonight for more of ET's interview with the actress.
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