When Pamela Anderson was announced as the star of Gia Coppola’s third film, “The Last Showgirl,” the stage was set for a massive career resurgence for the one-time “Baywatch” star. That the film — which sees Anderson taking on a full-bodied, deeply emotional role as a fading Las Vegas dancer — would alter the trajectory of Anderson’s life and career was never really in doubt, but the fruits of Coppola’s latest have been profound for the star.

And, as it turns out, the same is true for Coppola. As she tells IndieWire, the extremely edifying experience of making and releasing the film has also changed the way she thinks about her own life and work. Now, she said, she trusts herself. Challenges aren’t as scary. The world looks different.

As is typical with the Coppola clan, “The Last Showgirl” is also very much a family affair, with a...