Eva Mendes Remembers How Pamela Anderson 'Was So Incredibly Sweet to Me' Early in Her Career

"I was a nervous actor just starting out & she made sure I felt welcomed," Mendes wrote of Anderson Friday on Instagram

Photo: Tim Hunter / Newspix via Getty, Roy Rochlin/Getty

Eva Mendes is singing Pamela Anderson's praises.

Sharing a stunning photo of the Baywatch alum to Instagram on Friday, the Hitch actress lauded Anderson's recently released Netflix documentary Pamela, a love story, saying she "loved watching" it.

Mendes, 48, went on to recall meeting Anderson, 55, around 20 years ago, while guest-starring on an episode of Anderson's action-dramedy V.I.P.

"She was so Incredibly sweet to me," Mendes continued. "I was a nervous actor just starting out & she made sure I felt welcomed. An actor never forgets that. It means so much. 💗"

"I'm so happy she's finally telling her story. 💗 Lotsa love to you beautiful," she concluded.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Pamela Anderson. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

At the premiere of her new Netflix documentary in Los Angeles last month, Anderson told PEOPLE that going back in time was an essential part of the process for telling her story — for the film and for her Love, Pamela memoir, which both dropped Jan. 31.

"Of course it's emotional for me," the actress said. "It's just all these wonderful memories and hard memories too. But I wanted to go back into those feelings and feel those feelings."

She added, "That's how I wrote my book. I wanted to go through all the chapters of my life and feel those feelings. It was hard. It was very hard."

And seeing the finished product was also moving for her two sons with ex-husband Tommy Lee: Brandon Thomas Lee, a producer on the movie, and Dylan Jagger Lee, both of whom attended the premiere with their mom.

"I think Brandon was a little emotional. Dylan was a little emotional when he saw it," Anderson said. "Brandon's seen a ton of it. He's been doing this for two years, so this has been a long process and as a mom, you never want to burden your kids. But this has kind of been a fun family project, but it had a lot of emotion tied to it."

RELATED VIDEO: Pamela Anderson Says "It's Emotional" to Watch Her Life Story in New Netflix Documentary

Pamela, a love story follows Anderson's growth "from small-town girl to international sex symbol, actress, activist and doting mother," according to a synopsis on IMDb.

As for her book, it landed on The New York Times bestsellers list at No. 2 in its first week, just behind Prince Harry's book Spare in the nonfiction category.

"I've just heard the news ... My book 'Love, Pamela' is a New York Times Best Seller! Thank you from the depths of my heart," Anderson wrote on Instagram Feb. 9.

The star continued, "While in NY (on Broadway) I adopted the Tree of Heaven -self seeded and growing out of a rock in Central Park… I did so in my sons honor. But I hope all will come to find her and feel the glamorous energy of nature - The face of the tree smiled at me."

"Dreams do come true, When you least expect it ... Never give up," she added. "Persevering through hardships is for the greater good of all. We can do this human family. With Dignity Heart & Soul. Love, Pamela."