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David Hasselhoff objected to Pamela Anderson’s ‘Baywatch’ hiring: casting director

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According to Joel Thurm, David Hasselhoff was “blessed by looks, luck and me”.

The veteran casting director said he was the one “who paved the way” for the actor’s “best years” on shows like “The Young and the Restless,” “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch.” He also saw a new star making a splash in “Baywatch,” the series about lifeguards tackling rescues and relationships.

Thurm, who recently penned the tell-all “Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director,” told Fox News Digital that Hasselhoff was hesitant to have Pamela Anderson join the cast.

Joel Thurm recently wrote “Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director”. (Bear Manor Media)

“I am on [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 got joined,” Thurm said. “And if the ratings go up, it’s going to benefit [Hasselhoff].”

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According to Thurm’s book, Hasselhoff initially opposed hiring the Playboy Playmate, insisting that “Baywatch” was “a family show.” Despite her objections, the blonde bombshell slipped into her red swimsuit as CJ Parker in 1992.

“He agreed to meet her and was overwhelmed by her ‘charisma,'” Thurm wrote. “Later, when a sex tape of her with husband Tommy Lee found its way onto the internet, many stations and distributors wanted it fired. But when the ratings came, some had gone up. by double digits. Those who called for its withdrawal “Baywatch” lasted 10 years in syndication. It was a huge success in more than 140 countries, with an estimated audience of 1.1 billion viewers per week and is the longest-running show to ever receive a single Emmy nomination.”

Pamela Anderson played the role of CJ Parker in “Baywatch”. (The Baywatch Company/Album/File)

Thurm is used to taking risks. In the book, he describes how Hasselhoff went up against Laurence Olivier for the role of Michael Knight on the ’80s action show “Knight Rider.”

“The producers were so out of touch with reality,” laughed Thurm. “They had no idea how good their project was or lack thereof. Peter Golden, who was one of the casting directors who worked for me at NBC, made his list and the producers insisted that he put [Olivier] Here. Believe me, it wasn’t the casting director’s idea and he didn’t want to do it either. But the producers got it wrong, shall we say.”

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Other stars considered include Sam Shepard, Jon Voight, Kris Kristofferson, Harrison Ford and Peter O’Toole. Thurm claimed in his book that each actor on the list either declined gently or with an “are you kidding?” Hasselhoff then agreed to play the role, and he signed on as executive producer.

David Hasselhoff starred as Michael Knight in the ’80s action series “Knight Rider.” (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images/File)

Thurm hasn’t been the only one spilling secrets lately. Anderson recently wrote a memoir titled “Love, Pamela” in which she describes how the show’s casting directors called the Playboy office “relentlessly” in hopes of hiring her. And when she accompanied her then-boyfriend, David Charvet, to her audition, she was offered a job on the spot.

“It was getting hard to juggle ‘Home Improvement’ and ‘Baywatch,’ so I had to make a choice,” Anderson wrote. “‘Baywatch’ seemed like more fun – I loved being outdoors, swimming and spending time on the beach, learning about the ocean. And I loved the physical side of doing my own stunts. ‘being on a soundstage. … The cast and I have become very close.”

“I ended up making my career choice based on quality of life – ‘Baywatch’ paid less, but that wasn’t about it,” the 55-year-old explained. “The scripts were easy and my silly photographic memory came in handy. There was a lot more to being an actress, I learned later, but in the meantime…I was excited, grateful to be there and I loved every minute.”

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Pamela Anderson recalled in her memoir how she accompanied her then-boyfriend, David Charvet, to his audition for “Baywatch.” (Getty Images/File)

Anderson said that by the fourth season, she was the highest-paid actress on the show.

“Many international broadcasters would only buy the episodes I appeared in, so there were ‘Pamela clauses’ in the international agreements,” she wrote. “‘Baywatch’ aired in 150 counties. At the time, I didn’t even know there were 150 countries. Billions of people watched it, and soon it became the number one show to the world. The CJ ‘Baywatch’ Barbie was a successful Mattel toy, although I didn’t profit from it financially. I had junior representation at the time, and no one anticipated success. It all happened so fast.

Anderson left “Baywatch” in 1997 to focus on her family full-time.

David Hasselhoff was initially hesitant about Pamela Anderson joining the cast of “Baywatch”. The star said he was quickly swayed by her charisma and immediately wanted her to join him. (Paul Harris/Getty Images/File)

In 2017, Hasselhoff described to The New York Times how he immediately voiced his objections to Anderson joining the cast.

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“She wears a vest where you can see her breasts on the side,” recalls the septuagenarian. “I said, ‘I don’t want anybody from Playboy. This is a family show.'”

“He was afraid that Pam and her boobs would surprise him,” co-creator Michael Berk told the outlet.

Pamela Anderson instantly caused a stir as CJ Parker – and the rest is “Baywatch” history. (Getty Images/File)

“I never worried about it,” Hasselhoff said. “But she just exuded charisma. I walked out of the room and said, ‘I’ve changed my mind. Hire her.’ And we hired her on the spot.”

The outlet noted that Hasselhoff put his foot down for a different cast. Leonardo DiCaprio, then in his mid-teens, was considered for the role of his son.

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“David wanted a younger son so he wouldn’t age,” Berk said of the star, who was “nearing 40” at the time. The role went to 10-year-old Jeremy Jackson.

Pamela Anderson recently shared her story in a memoir and Netflix documentary. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix/File)

The series, a ’90s mainstay, led to two spin-offs (“Baywatch Nights” and “Baywatch Hawaii”) before ending in 2001. Hasselhoff appeared in the 2017 film “Baywatch,” which starred Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and Kelly Rohrbach. Anderson made a cameo appearance at the end of the film where she was introduced as the team’s “new captain”.

In 2018, former “Baywatch” star Erika Eleniak told Fox News Digital that the show’s growing success has led to the introduction of new characters. However, she left the series in 1992.

“When we started the show…it was on NBC, which at the time was the most conservative TV channel,” she explained. “There were some things that you didn’t show, that you didn’t say. Things have changed a lot since then. It took a different direction, but that’s what made the show a phenomenon. I felt like it was a different show and, no, I wasn’t comfortable. It was definitely not my thing to be super risky.

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The first “Baywatch” cast, from left, includes Billy Warlock as Eddie Kramer, Erika Eleniak as Shauni McClain, Parker Stevenson as Craig Pomeroy, David Hasselhoff as Lt. Mitch Buchannon and Shawn Weatherly as Jill Riley. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/File)

Eleniak said she was eager to move on and pursue movies instead.

“If you have to play the role of lifeguard and you don’t want to be in a bathing suit, there will be problems,” admitted the 53-year-old. “But for me, I wasn’t super comfortable, but that wasn’t the main motivation for me. [to leave]. It really wasn’t. My heart was in the movies and it was calling me.”

Eleniak added, “I just felt like it was the perfect time to go because I had great storylines in my second year, but I felt like it was getting a bit risky. It was just starting to look more like a music video. I loved it, I really did it. But I wanted to do other things too. … All I wanted to do was go on and play. different types of roles.

Yasmine Bleeth, left, David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson attend the ‘Baywatch’ 100th Episode Party at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on October 22, 1994. (Tammie Arroyo/Getty Images/File)

The “ET” actress was replaced by Anderson.

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“My exit was Pamela Anderson’s entrance,” Eleniak said. “God, she was perfect for the show. I feel like she did the show. And I know they were thrilled to have her. So it worked really well.”

 

--  Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment on Foxnews.com.