‘A screwed-up process’: Lily James was 'a real wreck' after playing Pamela Anderson in 'Pam & Tommy'
Lily James has finally spoken about the "screwed-up process" she experienced while filming Hulu/Disney+ series ‘Pam & Tommy’ and transforming herself into the ‘Baywatch’ star, Pamela Anderson. The 33-year-old actress said, “I felt like a real wreck."
Talking to Mirror, James shared her experience portraying Anderson in ‘Pam & Tommy,’ a series which focused on the infamous leaking of Anderson and Tommy Lee’s (played by Sebastian Stan) sex tape. It won James an Emmy nomination. Recollecting the process, James described by saying, “It was such a screwed-up process. You just have to be patient with yourself. The hours are so long and you feel really burnt out. Your nervous system is just like, shot to s**t. I felt like a real wreck at the end of it.”
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The actress also revealed that she would speak to her own mother in Anderson’s voice and would constantly wear blonde wig. “I’d go around in a blonde wig because I just felt that I needed to hold on to her a little bit. The difference from me to her was too extreme to go back and forth. So, I had to stay in this middle no man’s land of like Lily/Pamela most of the time. I would totally slip into her voice. Even when I went out for dinner and was ordering with the waitress or talking to my mom on the phone, I would be American. I think I’ve lost lots of jobs because I keep speaking like Pamela in any audition.”
Prior to this, in an interview with Net-A-Porter, James said she never worked so hard. "I read the books [Anderson] 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. I love that about acting; you fit into a character and you realize you are not as different as you might have thought," said James.
'Pam & Tommy' - Sex tape scandal
The eight-episode series followed the sex tape scandal of the former couple, Anderson and Lee, who have been in media coverage since they got together in 1994 and whose marriage lasted from 1995 to 1998. The couple reportedly shot the footage privately on their honeymoon. However, following a dispute with electrician Rand Gauthier who was allegedly owed $20K by the couple, leaked the footage on the internet for money. Gauthier stole a safe from the couple’s Malibu mansion, including the Anderson’s jewelry and Lee’s guns, along with their tape.