TORONTO, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Pamela Anderson portrays a

veteran Las Vegas showgirl forced to confront an uncertain

future when she suddenly finds herself out of a job in "The Last

Showgirl," a heartfelt drama that made its premiere on Friday at

the Toronto International Film Festival.

A story about what goes on behind the bright lights of

Vegas, the film stars Anderson as Shelley, a 50-year old dancer

who must reinvent herself when the floor show in which she

performs suddenly closes after a 30-year run on the Strip.

Supported by a cast that includes Dave Bautista and Jamie

Lee Curtis, Anderson took on the challenging role after last

year's Netflix ( NFLX ) documentary "Pamela: A Love Story," which offered

an intimate portrait of the "Baywatch" actor's life and career

in her own words.

"There was just a gut instinct about Pamela that I was

compelled by, and then seeing her documentary really solidified

that choice," Gia Coppola, who directed "The Last Showgirl,"

told Reuters at the premiere.

"I knew that no one else could play this role but her and

add the same meaning," said Coppola, whose directorial credits

include 2013's "Palo Alto" and "Mainstream" in 2020.

Anderson, a 57-year-old actor, animal rights activist and

model, began her storied career in 1989 when she was discovered

at a football game in her native British Columbia. That led to a

modeling opportunity with Playboy magazine that catapulted her

into the spotlight and opened the doors to her acting career.

Curtis, who plays a cocktail waitress and Shelley's best

friend in the movie, said working with Anderson was the main

attraction for her.

"I did the movie because she was going to be in the movie,"

Curtis told Reuters on the red carpet.

Curtis, who won an Academy Award in 2023 for her work in

"Everything Everywhere All at Once," said she had a scheduling

conflict but was able to accept the role because the producers

agreed to shoot all of her scenes in the first four days of the

filming.

As for Anderson, she made a brief appearance on the red

carpet on Friday, barely stopping for interviews.

"I love the way that she is walking through the BS of show

business and saying, 'I don't need to play your game.' I respect

her for it so deeply," Curtis said.

"I hope we will all have a newfound appreciation for her

talents after they see the movie."