The movie also featuresJamie Lee Curtis,Dave Bautista,Kiernan Shipka,Brenda Song, andJason Schwartzman.
GERSTEN: I saw the showJubilee!when I was in Las Vegas in 2013.
I was really fascinated.
Image via Utopia
There were 85 women in the show, and the costumes were incredible, and the set wasenormous.
There was the Titanic on the set.
I just thought, Job loss in America?
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
PAMELA ANDERSON: This is a whole new thing.
We haven’t heard this before.
I have such a fascination with that place, and just what is it like to live there?
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
COPPOLA: I can’t quite place what it is that I like.
I think everyone’s kind of like, What’s wrong with you?
That’s really strange.
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
You don’t actually spend time on the strip.
There are great restaurants on the strip, that’s the reason to go there.
Where are the children in New York City?
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
Where are the schools?
And I was like, They’re in the buildings.
And I feel like I had that same sort of realization about Vegas, just like what Gia says.
Image by Photagonist at TIFF
It’s like, Oh, there are people here!
Oh,childrenlive in Las Vegas.
Where is this coming from?
A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
the flying trapeze and I was kind of fascinated by the circus.
I just wanted to go to the circus.
One of my favorite elements of this movie is the cast chemistry.
It does feel like a script that hinges on you being able to create that family-like environment.
BRENDA SONG: That was the first scene we ever shot.
COPPOLA: And then the barbeque …
SONG: With Dave [Bautista].
COPPOLA: And then I remember Jamie [Lee Curtis] being like, This cast.
[Laughs] That’s all you want Pamela to have is that big strong man.
I can’t believe I’m sitting at this table.
It felt hard and easy at the same time.
When she was like, Pamela is in, I was like, Oh my god!
And then she was like, Jamie Lee Curtis is in, I was like, Oh my god!
She was like, Dave Bautista is in, like, Oh my god!
Kiernan Shipka is in, Brenda Song is in!
I was losing my mind every time you text me.
Then we did the table read, andI met Jamie for the first time, and I was terrified.
I’m about to throw up.
But she was just like, Let’s just do this!
She just kept on looking me in the eyes, and she’s so supportive and so wonderful.
I feel like I’ve known her my whole life, and she’s incredible.
She really was a force on the set and brought us all together.
There was no ego, and it was really inspiring.
Pamela, this is your first lead role in a little while.
Why now and also why particularly this role?
ANDERSON: I think timing is everything.
I thought I was never gonna get the chance to do anything like this.
I kind of thought, Oh, well, that’s what people think of me.
I’m just gonna go back to my farm, make jam, and that’s it.
I’ll figure out another way to make my life beautiful.
But the documentary came out, the book came out, and Gia saw the documentary.
It’s life and death.
I havent even scratched the surface.
I’ve been getting away with murder in a bikini for way too long.
I need to do something really good!
And so that’s why I did it, and Im glad it happened the way it did.
I walked out thinking, There better be many, many more to come.
It’s an addictive quality.
Im just being real.
SHIPKA: I cant believe you didnt write the script thinking about her!
GERSTEN: I cant either.
I was like, That’s all I aspire to do, is that.
you’ve got the option to feel it on screen.
That’s what was so beautiful.
It made us all comfortable in a very safe place.
It’s such a wonderful experience that other directors are gonna be fortunate to experience.
You go to her house and she’s cooking you soup and making you cookies.
SHIPKA: Good soup, by the way.
SONG: Yes, and great cookies.
Those kept me alive.
COPPOLA: Bringing sweaters and socks to sets, and, Oh, you want a cappuccino?
ANDERSON: Puppy treats!
Mainly because I find people in this business do not say “good job” to themselves nearly enough.
SHIPKA: The splits!
[Laughs]
ANDERSON:I got to breathe.
It was very magical when Gia came to me.
ANDERSON: Well, you’re amazing.
SONG: You’re the best.
We’re so lucky.
Are you kidding me?
I think that was a huge thing for me.
Pamela opened the doors for us when we werent in showgirl makeup to not wear anything.
For me, as an actor, it sounds so silly but it was so freeing.
GERSTEN: Yes, the best!
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