Pamela Anderson On Broadway Debut At 54: 'I Needed Something Like This In My Life'

Pamela Anderson is ready to conquer The Great White Way.

The "Baywatch" star will soon make her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart — a wannabe vaudevillian who murders a man she is having an affair with and becomes famous as a result — in "Chicago."

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight Wednesday, Anderson revealed that she was first offered to star in a Broadway show 10 years ago. However, at the time, her sons with ex-husband Tommy Lee were still teens, and she "couldn't wrap my head around" being away from them.

But now that her children — Brandon, 25, and Dylan, 24 — are adults, Anderson felt it was time for her to reenter the spotlight.

"I'm excited and scared out of my mind," Anderson said of making her Broadway debut. "My kids are grown. [Producer] Barry Weissler called and said, 'It's time,' and it is."

She continued, "I needed something like this in my life at this moment. I really wanted to sink my teeth into something and I just really needed it."

Anderson described her experience preparing for her Broadway debut as "crazy" and "intimidating," but she was up for the challenge. "I like doing scary things," she said.

Despite the challenges of trying something new, Anderson is ecstatic to be busy with rehearsals and has been "soaking it up like a sponge."

"I'm just eating it up. I never would have thought I would even have the opportunity to do something like this, so I'm not gonna let myself down, number one, but I'm not gonna let anybody down. I'm not gonna let Barry down, my family down," she said.

The actress said her children have been supportive of her new venture and cheering her on, sharing that her son Brandon told her: "It's time, Mom. You deserve it."

Anderson went on to say that she feels playing Roxie was "kind of meant to be" and was a role she'd "been rehearsing for my whole life."

"I didn’t know if I could sing, or if I could dance, or if I could do anything -- I’m not saying I can, you have to come see -- but I’m surprising myself. I’m really doing this for me," she added.

Other stars who have portrayed Roxie onstage over the years include Ann Reinking, Ashlee Simpson Ross and Michelle Williams. Renée Zellweger also played the character in the 2002 "Chicago" film adaptation opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones as rival and fellow murderess Velma Kelly.

"Chicago" runs from April 12 through June 5 at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City.