‘Baywatch’ Star Brande Roderick Shares Her Biggest Misconception About Lead Role

Brande Roderick remembers her years on “Baywatch” as “one of the best times” of her life. The 50-year-old actress fondly recalls filming the last two seasons in “magical” Hawaii, feeling like part of a “little family” with the rest of the cast.

“We’re on an island where we only know each other,” she shared. “And it really was like this gathering of friends of family every day. You’re just going out and frolicking in the water and swimming with Aquaman, Jason Momoa. You can’t ask for better than that.”

However, working on the series was not always fun in the sun. The new Hulu documentary, “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” reveals some private struggles the cast faced while portraying the iconic lifeguards.

“People might assume that everyone’s life is perfect,” said Roderick. “And I think the documentary will show that everyone’s life isn’t or wasn’t perfect and that there are struggles people went through that the world might not have known about.”

She added, “It’s going to shed some light. People are going to be vulnerable and talk about their experiences, not just on the show but in their life during that time, the ’90s and early 2000s.”

According to Roderick, there was always pressure to live up to the “perfect ‘Baywatch’ babe” image.

“Even a misconception I had when I booked ‘Baywatch,’ you know, I booked the lead role, right? I’m like, this is it. I made it. And I was sorely mistaken when the show got canceled and, all of a sudden, I’m out of a job,” she recounted.

“I thought, because I booked ‘Baywatch,’ the No. 1-watched show in the world, that I was going to have it made, never have to audition again. Jobs would just be thrown at me. But that’s not how this business works,” she said.

“You still have to get out there and work. People might think, ‘Oh, once you do something like this, your life is easy.’ But it’s not. Absolutely not,” she added.

Roderick made her directorial debut with the horror film “Wineville,” and described the experience as challenging since she also produced and starred in the film.

“I was wearing all the hats, and I was putting out fires left and right,” she said of the 1970s period piece. “It was a lot, but it was a huge dream of mine that I always wanted to do. And I made it happen, and it was very exciting.”

The production faced a lot of challenges, especially towards the end of the pandemic. “Our second day of shooting, our wardrobe person got COVID. She had to leave. We had to find someone last minute who understood what we were doing in terms of the ’70s style.”

Roderick also faced the task of finding decade-specific props. “We needed cars from the ’70s. There were many challenges, definitely. As a producer, putting out all the fires was the hardest part, while also trying to memorize my lines and direct.”

The actress has stayed in contact with some of her “Baywatch” co-stars, especially Carmen Electra, who she sees “all the time.”

“She’s one of the people I’ve stayed in contact with the most,” Roderick said.

She recently reconnected with Jason Momoa, whom she described as a “little brother.”

“Jason’s like a little brother to me,” she said. “He’s a wonderful person with a huge heart. He still has that sweet boyish personality. It was really sweet to see him, and my kid got to meet Aquaman, which was pretty cool.”

Roderick admits that she has lost touch with Pamela Anderson and last saw her while filming “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding” in 2003.

She is excited about the planned FOX reboot of the show. “I’ve already talked to [co-creator] Michael [Berk],” she said. “I’m ready to come to Australia and have some fun. It’s something that I’m excited about and ready to be a part of.”

Source: Fox News Digital