Fame found Gena Lee Nolin at 22.
At almost 55, freedom is finding her.
Nearly an empty nester, she is stepping into a newly independent life just as Baywatch prepares to return to television in January.
The timing could not be more cinematic. The series that made Gena one of the most recognizable women in the world is beginning again. So is she. And Neely Capshaw may be coming with her.
“There’s only one Neely, really,” Gena says.
Every chapter of her life has come with a look, a label and a part to play. This one comes with no costume, no lines and no director.
Gena made being seen look effortless. She dazzled on The Price Is Right, made bad look good in Baywatch red, ruled the jungle as Sheena and bared all for Playboy.
Now, the next chapter is hers to define.
“Life is kind of just beginning. This cover does not capture a comeback. It captures an arrival."
Before revisiting the fame, the red suit and the woman everyone thought they knew, we begin with the life Gena is choosing now.
What do you love most about the life you have now?
My journey has taken many twists and turns, and where I am now feels fresh, new and exciting.
Now I am navigating a deeply personal transition, nearing an empty nest and stepping into life as my own woman. It is freeing, but somewhat sad and also a little scary.
This cover story is monumental because it captures the exact moment of my rebirth. It is not simply a photo shoot or a look back at where I have been. It is a portrait of who I am becoming.
I believe in divine timing and that everything happens for a reason.
Sometimes mistakes bring us to our knees, and the only way forward is to do the work. We may lose people we love, but we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. I am raw, rebuilding and done pretending. This is me, and it feels good.
Do you feel more like yourself now?
I do.
My daughter is about to turn 18, and we have been talking about the courage and intuition it takes to step into the world. At her age, I was insecure and had no idea who I was. She already has such a strong sense of herself, and I deeply admire that.
It feels beautifully full circle to watch her enter adulthood as I enter a new life of my own.
At 19, you left Las Vegas for Los Angeles. What were you chasing?
Not Hollywood. I had no plan to become an actress or a model. I wanted to be by the beach. I wanted freedom and an experience.
Then television found you.
It happened fast.
I was 22 when I started on The Price Is Right. I loved it. It was fun, and I was with Bob Barker and the original girls I grew up watching.
What was your favorite game?
Probably Plinko or the putting game.
And then a Baywatch casting director saw you presenting a cabin cruiser in a swimsuit.
They were casting a new character named Neely Capshaw, who was the bad girl of the show.
I had never seen a professional script. I had no acting experience.
I went into the audition and read opposite David Hasselhoff right out of the gate. I walked into a room with about 19 people, but I remember being so dialed in. I was in the zone.
I was strangely comfortable in that room. I sensed something special was happening.
Neely was sexy, manipulative and fearless.
The opposite of who I was.
The producers sent me movies like Body Heat because they wanted me to understand that salacious, sexy bad girl energy. They wanted Kathleen Turner quality, with the raspy voice and the confidence.
Meanwhile, I went home after receiving my first paycheck and bought a sewing machine. I sewed curtains. I was a homebody. I never partied or got into that scene.
It was fun to go to work and become someone completely different. Then, at the end of the day, I would wash off my makeup and go back to being me.
Was there a part of Neely you needed?
Neely had backbone, strong, and vivacious. She was all these things that I felt I lacked.
I was shy and insecure. Playing a character who was so much bigger than life was difficult, but it became a personal development experience for me.
Anytime you play a character, you have to bring some part of yourself to her. With Neely, I had to find a part of myself I had not really used before.
How quickly did fame arrive?
The day I got the part, I was on Entertainment Tonight. The next morning, my phone blew up.
Overnight, people were sitting in my bushes with long lenses, following me and lining the beach by the hundreds while we filmed. It was scary and exciting all at once.
That was what was so great about having Pamela and David and the other cast members. We could talk to each other about it because we were all experiencing it.
I joined during season six, which became the biggest season the show had.
Now Baywatch is getting a TV reboot.
I have known about the new series for a while.
After the documentary and the Dwayne Johnson film, conversations about reviving Baywatch were already circulating. I was excited, but also leery because introducing something this iconic to a new generation is difficult. Still, I am optimistic. I think it has legs, and I am curious to see what this very young cast does with it.
Is Neely Capshaw making a comeback?
Possibly.
So does that mean YOU are making a comeback?
There is only one Neely, really.
That sounds like a tease.
They are filming now. At the time we are having this conversation, they are only around episode four.
That is all I can say.
You also recently reunited with members of the original cast for something coming to FOX this fall...
We had a reunion of sorts for a very fun show on FOX. Stay tuned.
After three regular seasons, you walked away from Baywatch.
Yes, my oldest son was around two, and I had reached a point where I was burned out.
We were living in the Hollywood Hills, but I had family in Scottsdale. That was what brought me here. I wanted to be a mom and have that time with him.
It was the easiest transition.
When you are working on a TV show, you are doing 18 hour days. In Scottsdale, I could have mommy and me groups and embrace that part of my life.
Then Hollywood came calling again.
About two years after I settled in Scottsdale, the executive producer of Baywatch called and said Sony was developing a television series based on the comic book character Sheena.
He told me there was no one else who could play the part.
I was torn, so I met with everyone involved, and the team surrounding the show was incredible.
I did Sheena for two seasons. We filmed in Orlando, so I moved my family. My mom came with us as my son’s nanny.
It was exciting, but also stressful. One episode takes eight days to film, and I was number one on the call sheet.
Neely was a woman you had to find. Did Sheena feel different?
With Sheena, I owned it.
I was older and had more experience; seasoned and understood the industry. I had a completely different perspective on what I was stepping into.
Playing both women was empowering because they were strong characters. Neely had backbone, and Sheena was powerful and physical.
Did you feel pressure to maintain a particular body?
The 90s were a different world, and the industry was male dominated. On The Price Is Right, wearing a swimsuit to present a boat was simply part of the job. Baywatch felt the same. I never carried body shame, and I was firm about my boundaries.
The harder pressure came from within. It was the self doubt and the feeling that maybe I was not thin enough.
Then my body began telling me something was truly wrong. After gaining a ton of weight with my second child, I lost a tremendous amount while pregnant with Stella and went into atrial fibrillation. It took until a year after her birth to be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, a condition few people discussed at the time.
And it compelled you to write a book, Thyroid Sexy.
Some of the darkest days of my life.
I was at my lowest… heavy, depressed and completely lost because no one seemed to know what was wrong with me.
I wrote Thyroid Sexy because it was the most unsexy. I’ve always said, if I can help one person on their journey, I’ve done my job.
When you do not feel well, looking good becomes an afterthought. You are trying to understand your body, find answers, and feel like yourself again.
Beauty became much more connected to health, awareness and what was happening inside me.
This is our Style Issue. What does style mean to you now?
Simplicity.
Being carefree and comfortable. My look is denim, a T-shirt, loafers and a cute little bag. I rarely wear makeup. Less is more.
What does your beauty routine look like?
I am a big walker because it lifts my mood and is gentle on the body. I also do Pilates, weight training, and my monthly DiamondGlow. My grandmother used Noxzema or Dove soap, and my mother has taken such great care of her skin... I think she’s had one laser in her 78 years! Both taught me that beautiful skin does not require much. I believe in keeping style and skincare simple and clean.
Do you still have the red swimsuit?
I have a few stashed away.
It seems so long ago, and it is. But it also feels like a flashback, like it was yesterday.
Time is a thief.
How do you feel about social media?
Fame before social media felt far more contained. Today, people can hide behind a screen, and the bullying, hate and constant comparison can be damaging at any age.
My relationship with social media is complicated. I share what I choose, keep it as real as possible and try to use it for good.
What have you learned about being a woman at this age?
We are far too hard on ourselves.
Women need to support each other. We need to embrace aging and every chapter of our lives.
I look back at all the years I spent feeling insecure and doubting myself. I think many women reading this will understand that feeling.
There is so much beauty in reaching a point where you know yourself better and can appreciate every chapter that brought you here.
What are you still discovering about yourself?
We are constantly changing.
We have to grow, learn from our past mistakes and apply those lessons to what we want in our lives.
I tell my kids to keep taking risks, remain true to themselves and understand that every part of the journey teaches them something.
That is what I am doing now too.
After a lifetime of playing strong women, are you finally recognizing that strength as your own?
I think so.
Neely pushed me to find a strength I did not yet recognize in myself. By the time I played Sheena, I was ready to own that power.
Now, for the first time, I am not borrowing strength from a character. It is mine.
That is what this rebirth means to me. I am becoming more fully myself in an authentic way, and this time, I decide what happens next.
instagram.com/genaleenolin
Glam, Allison Pynn
Wardrobe, Sarah Sommer
"This cover story is monumental because it captures the exact moment of my rebirth. It is a portrait of who I am becoming."
“For the first time, I am not borrowing strength from a character. It is mine. I am becoming more fully myself, and I decide what happens next.”