Carmen Electra: “I was asked to lose weight on Baywatch, That couldn’t happen today!” Baywatch 30 years later…. Interviews (Video)

ABC News Studios announced “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” a new docuseries that delivers a nostalgic and insightful exploration of “Baywatch,” the cultural phenomenon that defined an era, and an unprecedented look into the stars who brought the world’s most famous lifeguards to life. Through dozens of new cast interviews and never-before-seen footage, this docuseries unpacks how the show captured the mythology of California’s beach culture, set physical beauty standards for an entire generation, and capitalized on the adage “sex sells.” “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun” begins streaming on Wednesday, Aug. 28, only on Hulu.

Produced and directed by Matthew Felker in collaboration with ABC News Studios, this four-part series features exclusive interviews with over 35 beloved cast members and the show’s creators, including Nicole Eggert, Carmen Electra, Billy Warlock, Alexandra Paul, Gregory Alan Williams, David Chokachi, Jeremy Jackson, Traci Bingham, Erika Eleniak, Michael Newman, Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz and more.

Here in an exclusive interview with : Carmen Electra, Traci Bingham, Alexandra Paul, Nicole Eggert, Jeremy Jackson, Billy Warlock, David Chokachi and Matthew Felker. (video)

How did you get involved with this documentary and what can we expect?

Carmen Electra :At first it was a no for me. It was during Covid. I had to think about it. A year went by and then I decided: Let’s just do it, it will be fun. And we all did it because we wanted to. We didn’t get paid to do it. It ended up being like life therapy. You talk about your experience. The good and the bad. But there is so much good. And you can expect exclusive footage, interviews and even home videos which scares me a bit!

Do you remember how you got part of Baywatch at first?

C.E. :I remember my boyfriend back then. I was in LA. Baywatch just started and he was looking at those girls on the show ….so I wanted to be one of those girls. And I did and it was our moment. I am not kidding, it was turning every guys’ head, it was iconic and worldwide. So when I get a chance to be part of it, I jumped on the opportunity. Going from like Prince and then going to MTV, and then getting cashed on “Baywatch,” it was like the icing on the cake.  Those two combinations, woo. It was a lot. And it happened so fast

You and David Chokachi were a couple on the show . How did you get along off cameras?

C.E. :We were love interests, he was really a sweet person that would guide me, even with dialogue and trying to do all — some of these stunts and things that were hard because I was a part of this rookie school, and I think at that point “Baywatch” was getting a lot of criticism because people didn’t think that . And I remember, I was so green because I was coming from MTV and performing with Prince. And so then all of a sudden  you’re kind of toned down or whatever.  And I remember we had a make-out scene, and I didn’t realize, like, you don’t have to kiss, and I went in. Do you remember that? I just tongued him down. Oh, my God —

Which moment are you the proudest on the show?

C.E. :The cast was really doing their stunts. So I remember that pressure, and I remember the moment we tandem surfed — to me, that was just mind-blowing because I never thought I could do that. And to this day, it’s still one of my favorite moments that we had.  But David is the real — he’s the real deal, real deal.

Do you have a special memory that can be fun or not so fun?

C.E. :Not so fun. We had caters on the beach between filming with donuts and cookies bet we were not allowed to eat it ! They were very strict about that. I was asked to loose weight but I look at my body then it looked good ! But they couldn’t do it today. It was such a different time. Some people, I think, have had some tragic things happen; but, then, to the most celebratory thing.  Every one of us had a different experience.We talked about before, there has to be dark to be light.  There are two directions you can go into. So, am I going to go this one, this one? No. I’m going to create my own path, and I’m going to leave a trail. And that’s what I did.

How easy or difficult was it to transition after the end of the show?

C.E. :I transitioned very well because that was my mind set. I knew I was not going to get stuck with this one thing. I wanted to movies and campaigns. So it all depended on your mind set and how long you were on the show. And maybe some people look at me as a Baywatch actress, but I don’t think like this because that’s not my reality. Following the experience of the show, I wanted to have the make-up and the lashes while auditioning for new roles or to do press. It was early 2000 but everything was going button lock, no make-up. I wanted to keep on being a glamour girl because this is who I am, but they wanted me the opposite.

You’re known for your free spirit….

C.E. :I’m going to always be a wild child. Never going to change that. 

Franck Ragaine