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Vegas’ Heart & Soul Shines in “The Last Showgirl” – Interview with Pamela Anderson

Many Las Vegans watched our beloved Jubilee! close its doors, marking the end of an era for classic Strip entertainment. But this January, we’re getting a heartfelt love letter to Las Vegas showgirls – and our city itself – in The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson and directed by Gia Coppola.

The film follows Shelley (Anderson), a veteran showgirl facing an uncertain future when her show closes after a 30-year run. If that premise hits close to home for us locals, it should – the movie drew heavy inspiration from our own Jubilee! performers and features authentic Bob Mackie costumes that hadn’t left the museum in three decades.

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl (photo: IMDb)

While filming in our backyard, Anderson fully embraced local life, ditching the tourist traps for morning walks under those signature fiery Vegas sunrises. “I really appreciated the landscape,” Anderson shares in an interview with Vegas 411. “The landscape of Las Vegas is like the moon – there’s nowhere like it.” Between takes, she’d hit up Whole Foods and host fun, easygoing soup-making sessions with her castmates.

For director Gia Coppola, who brought her 8-month-old along for the 18-day shoot, discovering the real Las Vegas was eye-opening. “The Strip is actually not where it’s at,” she laughs, noting the parking nightmare at the big hotel-casinos. Instead, the production sought out authentic local spots, including our beloved Peppermill and other off-Strip gems that tourists rarely discover.

What makes The Last Showgirl truly special is its dedication to getting the showgirl experience right. The production team worked closely with former Jubilee! performers and dressers to nail every detail – right down to the choreography of costume changes. “There’s a choreography when it comes to taking these really heavy, rhinestony costumes off,” Anderson explains. “We really learned from the Jubilee dressers how to do that and how to do that looking like we’ve been doing it for 30 years.”

Costume designer Jose Rodrigo faced the unique task of working with historical Bob Mackie pieces. “The biggest challenge was making sure these iconic costumes, now almost 50 years old, fit each performer well enough for them to move and dance freely and safely – all while looking perfect on camera,” he shares. The solution? Bringing in former Jubilee! costume experts Jesse Phillips and Joyce White to work their magic.

Costumer Jose Rodrigo working his magic [photo courtesy of Jose Rodrigo]
The star-studded cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista (sporting a surprising new ’do), Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, and Billie Lourd. Fun fact: Lourd brought her own Vegas connection to the role – her grandmother, Debbie Reynolds, had a one-woman show here and was a huge part of our entertainment community.

For Anderson, who previously graced our stages as a magician’s assistant in Hans Klok’s show at Planet Hollywood (“I got fire spikes driven through me – I loved it!”), this role feels especially meaningful. “We really want to represent the Vegas showgirl community,” she says. “I have people coming up to me – dancers of all sorts, men, women, fathers – saying this opened up discussions for them.” Anderson also did her own dancing, adding authenticity, thanks to her playing “Roxy in Chicago on Broadway” shortly before filming this feature.

The film captures what we locals have always known: the real magic of Las Vegas happens backstage and off-Strip, where performers balance rhinestones and reality. As Anderson puts it, “We just don’t think of that three-dimensional person in that suit… who maybe has children or relationships or goes to the grocery store. I’ve always been more than the red [Baywatch] bathing suit.” She felt connected further through Mackie’s vintage costumes, which “even had little name tags in some of them, after all these years. So I felt like there were many women with me, and I know there are a lot of Shelleys out there.”

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl [photo: IMDb]
The Last Showgirl wraps up with an original song by Miley Cyrus, “Beautiful That Way,” which feels like a perfect bridge between Vegas’s glamorous past and evolving future. It’s a reminder that while our city constantly reinvents itself – demolishing the old to make way for the new – you can’t demolish the spirit of the people who make Vegas what it is. As Anderson puts it, “I always say you can’t demolish a person. And so this movie is about reinvention. It’s a hopeful story.”

The film opens nationwide on January 10, 2025, following a qualifying run this December. “We just can’t wait to screen it in Las Vegas,” Anderson says. Because for locals, this isn’t just another movie – it’s a celebration of our community’s resilience, reinvention, and that signature glitter that keeps bringing people back to the desert. As Anderson so succinctly puts it, “I couldn’t have done it without the working class of Las Vegas who actually make Vegas sparkle.”

 

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  • StaciLayne

    Author of the "Rock & Roll Nightmares" book series, director of the documentary film, "The Ventures: Stars on Guitars."

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Author of the "Rock & Roll Nightmares" book series, director of the documentary film, "The Ventures: Stars on Guitars."