'Mamma Mia' Alum Lily James Portrays Pam in Hulu's New Dark Comedy, 'Pam & Tommy'
Jan. 25 2022, Published 9:15 a.m. ET
Hulu's latest dark comedy, Pam & Tommy, takes a new look at the curious case of Pamela Anderson's and Tommy Lee's leaked holiday sex tape. Stolen from their Malibu home in the fall of 1995, the recording took the world by storm.
Described as "one of the most famous celebrity artifacts in history" by LADbible, the tape arguably cemented Pamela and Tommy's status as the most fearless and adventuresome A-listers of their time. Who plays Pamela in the series?
'Pam & Tommy' takes another look at the strange tale of the tape. Who plays Pamela?
The tape, which Pamela described as "not a sex tape," but a "compilation of vacations that we were naked on," during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in May 2020," earned Pamela and Tommy a daredevil-like status.
Pam & Tommy stars Seth Rogen as Rand Gauthier, the unpaid home renovation expert who nicked the tape alongside guns and jewelry in an attempt to take revenge on Tommy, Nick Offerman as Uncle Miltie, and Sebastian Stan as Tommy.
Lily James plays Pamela, a media personality who has to emotionally prepare for the fallout resulting from the unsolicited release of the tape, including its potentially devastating impacts on her career.
As a fictionalised retelling of the tale, Pam & Tommy chronicles Rand and Uncle Miltie's first experiences with discovering the tape in a pile of stolen goods — before embarking on the task of arranging distribution.
It will likely cast light on how Pamela and Tommy's relationship changed in light of the privacy violation. Pamela and Tommy got married in February 1995, after four days of dating. They stayed together for three years, welcoming two kids, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger.
Lily James, the actress playing Pam, had a 3:30 a.m. call time.
Born in Surrey, U.K., on April 5, 1989, Lily James graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2010 before embarking on an extremely successful career as an actress and producer. She had one of her first breakthroughs in 2010, with Ethel Brown's role in Just William.
Since then, she has starred in Downton Abbey (she played Lady Rose MacClare), Disney's live-action adaptation of Cinderella, War & Peace, and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! Some movie buffs will recognize her for Ellie Appleton's role in Yesterday.
As Lily told Net-a-Porter, portraying Pamela in Pam & Tommy didn't come without its challenges. For one, she donned a prosthetic bodysuit for most of the shooting. To nail Pamela's mannerisms, she read her books and poetry, and watched interviews.
"I've never worked so hard," Lily said. "I read the books [Pamela] has written, I read her poetry, I can parrot along to all her interviews. And then, of course, there was the physical transformation. Slowly, our incredible team found a balance where I resembled Pamela but also felt like I could act through it."
On Instagram, Lily predominantly posts about work projects. She started dating musician and songwriter Michael Shuman in 2021. Her ex-boyfriends include Matt Smith and, potentially, Chris Evans. (They sparked dating rumors in the summer of 2020.)
Pam & Tommy premieres on Feb. 2, 2022, on Hulu.
