Jamie Lee Curtis praises Pamela Anderson (exclusive)

Jamie Lee Curtis has nothing but praise for her The Last Showgirl Co-star Pamela Anderson.

“I think she's a transcendent being,” Curtis, 65, tells PEOPLE exclusively at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 6. “I think she's so smart and deeply spiritual and soulful. And beautiful!”

Anderson, 57, plays the lead role in The Last Showgirl as Shelley, a Las Vegas showgirl dancer who rebuilds her life after her long-running show closes. Curtis, who plays Shelley's “best friend” Annette, says she “did the movie because she was supposed to be in the movie.”

In fact, the Oscar winner had another project in the pipeline and asked for specific shooting dates The Last Showgirl so she could be seen on screen with Anderson.

“I love the way she goes through the crap of show business and says, 'I don't have to play your game,'” Curtis adds. “And I respect her deeply for that.”

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Anderson's breakthrough in Hollywood came after working as a model, often in playboy Magazine. During her three-year marriage to Tommy Lee, she was embroiled in controversy following the theft and distribution of a sex tape, one of many issues that Baywatch Alumna spoke openly about it in her 2023 memoir All the best, Pamela and Netflix documentary Pamela, a love story.

On the red carpet in Toronto, Curtis confirmed to reporters that she had seen the documentary, produced by Anderson's son Brandon Lee. “She was very honest about how society has treated her… But I hope that after watching the film, we will all have a new appreciation for her talents.”

The Last Showgirlfrom director Gia Coppola, screenwriter Kate Gersten and producers Robert Schwartzman and Natalie Farrey, co-stars Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka and Billie Lourd. The film is Anderson's first leading role in years; her last film appearance was the 2022 horror film Alone in the night.

The Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 5 to 15. After its debut at the festival The Last Showgirl will be screened in the main competition at this year's San Sebastián International Film Festival, which takes place from September 20 to 28. The film does not yet have a distributor or a release date.