Pamela Anderson defends her controversial 2017 #MeToo comments that people 'know' what they're getting into 'if you go to a hotel room alone'
- Pamela Anderson defended her controversial 2017 comments about #MeToo in a new interview.
- In 2017, she said people "know what you're getting into" by going into a hotel room alone.
Pamela Anderson has defended her controversial 2017 comments about the #MeToo movement in which she claimed people "know" what they're getting into "when you go to a hotel room alone."
In 2017, after the movement started to gain traction following numerous sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Anderson was asked by then-"Today" show host Megyn Kelly what she would say to women who had been victims of harassment in Hollywood.
"I think it was common knowledge that certain producers are people to avoid privately," the former "Baywatch" star said at the time. "You know what you're getting into if you go to a hotel room alone."
Speaking to Ronan Farrow in a new interview for Interview Magazine, Anderson was questioned whether her comments were "a healthy thought to introduce into the dialogue at that point."
The actor said: "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.'"
The former Playboy model continued: "That's a horrible thing to say but that's how I was. I skated on the edges of destruction, I just had this sense of value and self-worth. But I think a lot of people don't have that or they weren't taught that. Thank god for the #MeToo movement because things have changed and people are much more careful and respectful."
During the "Today" interview in 2017, Anderson said that it made "no sense" to her when she was asked to do private auditions after moving to Hollywood.
"Just common sense," Anderson said. "Don't go into a hotel room alone. If someone answers the door in a bathrobe, leave. It's these things that are common sense, but I know Hollywood is very seductive and people want to be famous and sometimes you think you're going to be safe with an adult in the room. I don't know where this security comes from but somehow I dodged it all."
Anderson also talked about her own encounter with Weinstein, claiming the producer scolded her for not wanting to work with a dog in a superhero film. She also said she was not surprised by the Weinstein allegations because it was "common knowledge" to avoid certain producers privately.
Anderson made further comments about the #MeToo movement the following year in an interview for the Australian show "60 Minutes."
"I think this feminism can go too far," she said. "I'm a feminist, but I think that this third wave of feminism is a bore. I think it paralyzes men. I think that this #MeToo movement is a bit too much for me. I'm sorry, I'll probably get killed for saying that."