Baywatch casting director claims David Hasselhoff was hesitant about Pamela Anderson casting
Casting director Joel Thurm explains how David Hasselhoff was hesitant about Pamela Anderson joining the 'Baywatch' cast.
David Hasselhoff was hesitant about Pamela Anderson joining the 'Baywatch' cast.
The 70-year-old star appeared opposite the 55-year-old bombshell in the classic TV drama from 1992 but veteran casting director Joel Thurm has insisted there was some doubt before the ratings backed up her hiring.
He told Fox New Digital: "I’m sure [Pamela] is a lovely woman in person from what I can see and certainly from what I’ve learned from her new Netflix documentary, but it’s no surprise the ratings went up when she joined.
"And if the ratings are going up, it’s going to benefit [Hasselhoff]."
In his book 'Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director', Thurm claimed that Hasselhoff objected to the casting but was "overwhelmed" when he actually met the former Playboy Playmate.
He wrote: "He did agree to meet her and was overwhelmed by her ‘charisma'.
"Later on, when a sex tape of her with her husband Tommy Lee found its way onto the internet, many stations and distributors wanted her fired.
"But when the ratings came in, some had increased by double digits. Those who called for her removal did an abrupt never mind. ‘Baywatch’ lasted in syndication for 10 years."
In her own recent memoir 'Love, Pamela', the star herself has recalled casting directors for 'Baywatch' "relentlessly" calling the Playboy office to get her on board, insisting that when she went with then-boyfriend David Charvet for his audition, she was offered a job there and then.
She wrote: "It was getting hard to juggle both ‘Home Improvement’ and ‘Baywatch,’ so I had to make a choice.
"’Baywatch’ seemed to be more fun – I loved being outside, swimming and spending time on the beach, learning about the ocean.
"And I loved the physicality of doing my own stunts. … So much better than being on a soundstage… The cast and I became very close."
Meanwhile, Hasselhoff previously revealed his objections to her casting.
He said in 2017: "She’s wearing a vest where you can see her breasts on the side. I said, ‘I don’t want anybody from Playboy. This is a family show.' "
