Pamela Anderson finds acting to be a "lonely" experience

In a guest essay for PEOPLE, Pamela shared: "Acting is a survival mechanism.

"We all do it. To make a career of it is a blessing. From a young child who learned to smile and carry on in the face of despair ... to a student struggling, searching, experimenting and torturing ourselves in acting class - or both - we learn as we go. And there is a different route to get here for all of us. This is an industry of misfits."

Pamela has endured lots of ups and downs in her career - but the Hollywood star was able to relate to her on-screen character in 'The Last Showgirl', the Gia Coppola-directed drama film.

Pamela - who played Shelly Gardner, a veteran Las Vegas showgirl, in the acclaimed movie - explained: "Being an artist is solitary, lonely and full of secrets.

"I've been there. I've been objectified at times, and written off. I've made mistakes, reinvented myself time and again. And, I've also given up - but found that when I thought it was the end, it was truly the beginning.

"The character of Shelly in 'The Last Showgirl' carries all these feelings, hopes and desires. She has found her calling, her meaning and her way to cope - and it's being ripped out from under her. No one else understands that better than a performer, who gets the 'life and death' element of being seen, heard and essentially loved."