Featured Image Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images
Topics: Pamela Anderson, Hollywood, Celebrity
Callum Jones
Topics: Pamela Anderson, Hollywood, Celebrity
Pamela Anderson is one of the most recognizable names in the world, but the woman herself has admitted that she would like to change it.
Anderson, 58, rose to fame in the 1990s for her starring role in Baywatch and has been a mainstay in Hollywood ever since.
The actor, who most recently starred in The Naked Gun alongside Liam Neeson, has opened up about embracing her roots, despite all the success she has achieved in the US and across the world.
You see, Anderson had a close relationship with her grandfather, Herman Hyytiäinen, who originated from Finland.
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Vogue Scandinavia reports that the star's family used the Finnish surname before moving to Canada, when they switched it to the more common American name of Anderson.
Speaking with the outlet, Anderson reflected on the close bond she had with her grandfather growing up and even considered changing her name to Hyytiäinen.
"Sometimes I don't want to be Pamela Anderson. I want to be Pamela Hyytiäinen," she said. "I would like to change my name, but they won’t let me."
Anderson's love for Finland came about after her grandfather taught her Finnish, which she described as a 'magical language'.
Sadly, Herman passed away when Anderson was just 11 years old, so she didn't have too many years learning the language she thought 'no one else could understand'.
She added: "I’d love to go back to Finland, maybe with my sons. To find out more about myself, to explore that side of me.
"Maybe we will change my name and go back, to answer to my roots. It feels distant, but it’s a part of me."
The Barb Wire actor went on to say that she's 'always been proud to tell people' she's Finnish.
It's not the first time Anderson has spoken about her heritage, as she discussed her grandfather in a 2015 interview with Esquire.
Describing him as 'a healer from Finland', she added: "All of his brothers changed their names, too, so I have a feeling that maybe something bad happened in Finland."
While she's proud of her routes, Anderson has made quite the name for herself in the US - but she admitted last year it was time to get away from the sex symbol many people in the 90s saw her as.
Speaking to Hello! in 2024, the actor said: "You know, I'm 57 years old. A lot of my career was about physicality, and it's been a journey, but it's also been part of the reason I've done this experiment with myself; to peel it all back, remember who I am and not be defined by what people do to me, but defined by what I do, and to have passion for the work and not become bitter or jaded — still finding joy in the process, in life and in this business."