Pamela Anderson Sings ‘Absolutely Nutty Scat Solo’ in ‘The Naked Gun’

In 2022, as the Pamela Anderson renaissance was in its infancy, the former “Baywatch” star dipped her toe into live performance. Well, toe-dip is an understatement. She jumped right into the water, starring as Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of “Chicago.” As that song-and-dance performance earned raves, it comes as no surprise that Anderson is now showing off her vocal chops once again — this time with what is sure to be a memorable jazz scat number in “The Naked Gun,” out August 1 in theaters.

“I was like, ‘How am I going to remember this?’ It’s an absolutely nutty scat solo,” Anderson told Entertainment Weekly. “But I did, and I sing it all the time, just walking around the house. I can’t get it out of my head.”

The song has an appropriately “Naked Gun” title, “Sassafras Chicken in D,” and it was written by Elizabeth Gillies and Joel McNeely. The film‘s director Akiva Schaffer explained that the tune is “all Pam,” and that she performed it live to a pre-recorded track every take (the final cut blends live and pre-recorded performance). “She performed it like a musical number,” Schaffer said.

While Anderson admits that it took “courage” to do the scat, she said her “happy place” is when she is “terrified.”

“I actually really enjoy singing. I love being on stage… The feeling is so rewarding because I feel like we repress so much of ourselves, and especially as an artist, and I love to write and journal and write poetry, but performing and working on a movie is another way to express yourself because everything is loaded,” she said. “All the words to that song, I’m thinking of personal experiences in my life, and so I’m able to get it out even in a crazy scene like that. So it’s not just spitting out the words, it’s performing some of your innermost thoughts.”

Co-star Danny Huston — who owns the club Anderson’s character sings in… and all of this is part of a plot to distract him as Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebin Jr. does some super secret detective work — said he was “spellbound” by Anderson.

“I was sitting at this table in this restaurant club and had the joy to see her perform time and time and time again….I was all a tizzy,” he said.

“The Naked Gun” arrives just months after Anderson scored her first Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her performance in “The Last Showgirl.” Last year, Anderson spoke with IndieWire about her resurgence as a full fledged movie star.

“I took a quite the unorthodox route to get here,” Anderson said. “I know I kind of did it backwards. This is just the beginning of my career, instead of the end.”

“The Naked Gun” is in theaters everywhere August 1. Watch the trailer below.