According to Joel Thurm, David Hasselhoff was “blessed with looks, luck and me.”
The veteran casting director said he was the one “who paved the way” for the actor’s “best years” in shows like “The Young and the Restless,” “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch.” He also witnessed a new star make a major splash on “Baywatch,” the series about lifeguards who tackled rescues and relationships.
Thurm, who recently wrote the tell-all “Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director,” claimed to Fox News Digital that Hasselhoff was hesitant about having Pamela Anderson join the cast.
Joel Thurm recently wrote “Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director.” (BearManor Media)
“I’m sure [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 joined,” said Thurm. “And if the ratings are going 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 his objections, the blonde bombshell slipped into her red swimsuit as C.J. Parker in 1992.
“He did agree to meet her and was overwhelmed by her ‘charisma,’” wrote Thurm. “Later on, when a sex tape of her with her husband Tommy Lee found its way onto the internet, many stations and distributors wanted her fired. But when the ratings came in, some had increased by double digits. Those who called for her removal did an abrupt never mind. ‘Baywatch’ lasted in syndication for 10 years. It was a huge hit in more than 140 countries, with an estimated viewing audience of 1.1 billion viewers weekly and is the longest-running show never to receive a single Emmy nomination.”
Pamela Anderson was famously cast as C.J. Parker in “Baywatch.” (The Baywatch Company / Album / File)
Thurm is used to taking risks. In the book, he described how Hasselhoff was up against Laurence Olivier for the role of Michael Knight in the ‘80s action show “Knight Rider.”
“The producers were so out of touch with reality,” Thurm chuckled. “They had no idea of the quality of their project 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 he put [Olivier] on there. Believe me, that was not the casting director’s idea nor did he want to do it. But the producers were very misguided, shall we say.”
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Other stars who were considered included Sam Shepard, Jon Voight, Kris Kristofferson, Harrison Ford and Peter O’Toole. Thurm claimed in his book that every single actor on the list declined either nicely or with a “are you f—ing kidding?” Hasselhoff later agreed to do the part, and he signed on as an 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 described how casting directors for the series were calling the Playboy office “relentlessly” in hopes of hiring her. And when she accompanied then-boyfriend David Charvet to his audition, she was offered a job on the spot.
“It was getting hard to juggle both ‘Home Improvement’ and ‘Baywatch,’ so I had to make a choice,” wrote Anderson. “’Baywatch’ seemed to be more fun – I loved being outside, swimming and spending time on the beach, learning about the ocean. And I loved the physicality of doing my own stunts. … So much better than being on a soundstage. … The cast and I became very close.”
“I ended up making my career choice based on quality of life – ‘Baywatch’ paid less, but it wasn’t about that,” the 55-year-old shared. “The scripts were easy, and my silly photographic memory came in handy. There was much more to being an actress, I learned later, but in the meantime … I was excited, grateful to be there, and loved every minute of it.”
Pamela Anderson recalled in her memoir how she accompanied 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 of the international broadcasters would buy only the episodes I appeared in, so there were ‘Pamela clauses’ in the international deals,” she wrote. “’Baywatch’ was shown in 150 counties. At the time, I didn’t even know there were 150 countries. Billions of people watched it, and soon, it was the number-one show in the world. The C.J. ‘Baywatch’ Barbie was a bestselling Mattel toy, though I didn’t financially benefit from that. I had menial representation at the time, and nobody foresaw the success. It all happened so fast.”
Anderson left “Baywatch” in 1997 to focus on her family full time.
David Hasselhoff was initially hesitant to have Pamela Anderson join the cast of “Baywatch.” The star said he was quickly swayed by her charisma and immediately wanted her to join. (Paul Harris / Getty Images / File)
Back in 2017, Hasselhoff described to the New York Times how he immediately voiced his objections about Anderson joining the cast.
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“She’s wearing a vest where you can see her breasts on the side,” recalled the now-70-year-old. “I said, ‘I don’t want anybody from Playboy. This is a family show.'”
“He was afraid Pam and her breasts would upstage him,” co-creator Michael Berk claimed to the outlet.
Pamela Anderson instantly made a splash as C.J. Parker – and the rest is “Baywatch” history. (Getty Images / File)
“I never worried about that,” Hasselhoff clarified. “But she just oozed 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 did put his foot down for a different casting. 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 it wouldn’t age him,” said Berk about the star, who was “nearing 40” at the time. The role went to 10-year-old Jeremy Jackson.
Pamela Anderson recently told her story in a memoir and Netflix documentary. (Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Netflix / File)
The series, a mainstay during the ‘90s, led to two spin-offs (“Baywatch Nights” and “Baywatch Hawaii”) before it ended in 2001. Hasselhoff appeared in the 2017 film “Baywatch,” which starred Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and Kelly Rohrbach. Anderson made a brief cameo 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 growing success of the show resulted in new characters being introduced. However, she left the series in 1992.
“When we first started the show … it was on NBC, which, at the time, was the most conservative network on television,” she explained. “There were certain things you didn’t show, you didn’t say. Things have changed a lot since then. It did take a different direction, but it is what made the show a phenomenon. I felt like it was a different show and, no, I was not comfortable. It definitely wasn’t my thing to be super risqué.”
The early cast of “Baywatch,” 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 films instead.
“If you have to play a lifeguard and you don’t want to be in a bathing suit, there’s going to be issues,” the now-53-year-old admitted. “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 films and it was calling.”
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 got a little risqué. It just started to take on a more music video feel. I loved it, I really did. But I also wanted to do other things. … All I wanted to do was go on and play different kinds of roles.”
Yasmine Bleeth, left, David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson attend the 100th episode party for “Baywatch” at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Oct. 22, 1994. (Tammie Arroyo / Getty Images / File)
The “E.T.” actress was replaced by Anderson.
“My exit was Pamela Anderson’s entrance,” said Eleniak. “God, she was perfect for the show. I feel like she made the show. And I know they were thrilled to have her. So, it just worked out really well.”
