Pamela Anderson Wants to Change Her Name

Pamela Anderson says that, if it were up to her, you'd be calling her Pamela Hyytiäinen (Hoo-ty-ah-eye-nen). The 58-year-old actor and model opens up to Vogue Scandinavia about her Finnish roots, by way of her grandfather Herman Hyytiäinen—"the closest person to me in my life," as Anderson describes him. The family's surname was anglicized when they arrived in Canada, transforming from Hyytiäinen to Anderson. The actor recalls that she lost both her grandfather and much of the Finnish language they shared when she was 11. "Sometimes I don't want to be Pamela Anderson. I want to be Pamela Hyytiäinen," she tells the magazine. "I would like to change my name, but they won't let me," she adds, without elaborating.

Anderson, who lives on her grandparents' old estate on Vancouver Island, stars in Michael Cera's upcoming directorial debut Love Is Not the Answer, which she describes as "a wonderful portrait of a woman who is interesting and layered." That sounds much like herself, according to Vogue Scandinavia, which notes the actor continues to embrace the intellect and curiosity that were long overshadowed by her bombshell image. "I'm enjoying being able to tell beautiful stories, not ones that are salacious or gratuitous, but with real human characters that I get to dig into," she says. "I didn't think I'd ever get the opportunity to do that." And when away from the cameras, she connects with her grandfather at home. "I can see him sitting in his La-Z-Boy chair, and I can hear him," she says. "He still has such a strong presence in the house."