Lily James opens up about her new role as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy and says she wishes the Baywatch star had been involved in creating the series. James is perhaps best known for starring in the period drama Downton Abbey between 2012 and 2015. The English actor made her film breakthrough in Disney’s live-action remake of Cinderella before appearing in movies such as Baby Driver, Darkest Hour, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. James is set to play the famous ’90s model in Hulu’s upcoming miniseries centering around the eponymous couple’s tumultuous marriage.
Pam & Tommy follows the sensationalized romance of Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee (played by Sebastian Stan). While not an official biopic, the eight-part series is a dramatization of what might have taken place during their whirlwind relationship plagued with intrigue and a viral sex scandal. Other cast members include Mike Seely as Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner and Seth Rogen as Rand Gauthier, the man who found and leaked the notorious private tape.
For the cover story of the latest issue of Porter Magazine, James talks about her extreme transformation as Anderson for Pam & Tommy. The 32-year-old admits that it was her most challenging role to date. To step into the character, she says that she read Anderson’s books and watched all her interviews. She also reveals that she actually reached out to Anderson before the series started filming, hoping that the Baywatch actor would be involved. Read her comments below:
I was really hopeful that she would be involved. I wish it had been different. My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically. And I was very hopeful that we would be in touch right up until we started filming.
Unfortunately, Anderson did not respond to James’ attempts and refuses to be connected with the Hulu series. Meanwhile, her ex-husband Lee seems to be cool with the show’s presentation of their life story. The rockstar has given his stamp of approval to Stan’s portrayal of him.
Even without Anderson’s insight, James obviously poured herself into the role and succeeded in looking and acting the part. The actor, who is famous for playing girl-next-door characters, shed her modest image and totally transformed herself into the iconic ’90s bombshell. In the recently released trailers for Pam & Tommy her striking resemblance to Anderson is incredibly spot on. Anderson’s involvement in creating the show would have been extra promotional leverage, but it’s safe to assume that fans would tune in just to see James and Stan’s stunning transformations and steamy scenes together. Hopefully, the show’s narrative will be powerful enough to keep viewers hooked for the entire eight episodes.
