Pamela Anderson is finally suiting up for The Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson, but she almost brought her talents to the franchise over thirty years ago. In an interview with Empire, Anderson revealed she nearly popped up in The Naked Gun 33 1/3, proving good things do come to those who wait… decades.
“The part that Anna Nicole [Smith] played, I almost played,” Anderson said. “It was just scheduling. I couldn’t do it. But it’s good: I’d rather play this role.” Anderson’s character in the reboot-quel is modelled after a classic femme fatale. The character is named Beth, and she comes to the Police Squad for help after her brother is murdered.
Anderson quickly bonded with Neeson on set. “We just had a ball,” she said. “I was always showering him with loaves of bread and cookies and muffins. There was a little book-shop on the set, and he found this poetry book by Ibsen, and he was explaining to me a little bit about him. And then for his birthday, I got him a first-edition Hemingway. He’s always got a book in hand, and the same with me.“
Although the film could have potential, franchise co-creator David Zucker has already slammed it, saying he was “excluded” from the project after refusing to put his name on it.
In addition to Neeson and Anderson, The Naked Gun stars Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston and more. Although Neeson has experience in comedy, he’s never led one himself. He explained why he wanted to take on The Naked Gun last year. “It’s funny because right before Christmas, my sons and I were looking through the Academy screeners and trying to find something silly, some silly, stupid movie that we could giggle at,” Neeson explained. “There was none, of course, as they were all very heavy and international. I mean, brilliant movies but all very heavy. When Seth MacFarlane approached me about it — this was about two years ago, now — I thought, yeah, I guess I could do that as long as I play it dead seriously and not try and imitate Mr. Leslie Nielsen. He was wonderful. Akiva Schaffer is directing it and he’s from the [Saturday Night Live] world. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a good script, and there’s a few laugh out loud moments in it.” The Naked Gun will hit theaters on August 1st.
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