The trailer for Hulu’s Pam & Tommy has shocked the world at the near-perfect portrayal of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.
Starring Lily James as Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Lee, the show provides an intimate look at the s*x tape scandal that shook the United States.
Premiering on February 2, the eight-episode series will follow their infamous love story, right up to the s*x tape scandal that shook their reputations.
James and Sebastian’s versions of the famous figures first made headlines when a photo of the two on set was released online.
Both actors and the makeup department have been praised for the accurate visual portrayal of Anderson and Lee, and fans are excited to see Sebastian Stan and Lily James take on the infamous scandal.
The Anderson-Lee Marriage
The series will follow the turbulent marriage of model-actress Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.
On February 19, 1995, the two were married after only knowing each other for roughly four days.
After a quick beach wedding, tabloids reported the two had gotten married, a fact Anderson’s mother only found out after reading about it in People Magazine.
The former couple shares two sons, Brandon Thomas (born in 1996) and Dylan Jagger (born in 1997).
The infamous marriage was strained, with multiple reports of domestic violence having the news nearly every day.
Lee was arrested for spousal abuse during their relationship, even being sentenced to six months in the Los Angeles County Jail.
The couple got divorced in 1998, after just three years of their high-profile marriage.
The Leaked S*x Tape
A 2014 article in The Rolling Stone revealed the infamous s*x tape was leaked by the couple’s former electrician.
After being abruptly fired and harassed by Lee, Randy Gauthier had had enough of the s*x-fueled couple and their relationship.
Wanting to write off the $20,000 the couple owed him for unfinished work on their Malibu mansion, Gauthier and a contractor came back to the property to take back their equipment, only to be met with Lee holding a shotgun.
Humiliated and defeated, Gauthier stole the giant safe kept in the garage containing jewelry and Lee’s guns.
What he didn’t realize was that the safe housed a homemade s*x tape.
A disgruntled and vengeful Gauthier decided to leak the tape in 1996.
He took the tape to the North Hollywood p*rn studio he was working at. After watching all 54 minutes with the studio owner, saying:
“We put it in and see what it is, and of course, cha-ching. The dollar signs fly before our eyes … but we’re going, this is the kind of thing people will get killed over.”
The p*rn business in the mid-nineties was at an all-time boom, generating a $5 billion industry that released hundreds of VCR tapes per year.
It was released on the newly-formed Internet and soon became one of the world’s first viral sensations.
Anderson sued the distribution company Internet Entertainment Group when the tape was first made public online.
She and Lee eventually entered into a confidential settlement with the company, and soon after, the tape was only available via subscription access.
The Guinness Book of World Record declared Anderson as the ‘most-downloaded star’ of all time, with websites that did not focus on the entertainment gossip realm listing her name in order to boost traffic.
Lily James & Sebastian Stan
James and Stan signed on to star as the series leads to much doubt that they could pull off the roles.
James, in particular, had been known for her demure on-screen persona, popularized through films such as Cinderella and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Stan had already cemented his place in history as Bucky Barnes, or The Winter Soldier, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many fans were concerned as to how likely he would be to play the out-of-control music legend.
Potential viewers have commended the makeup and style department on transforming James into Anderson to an unrecognizable point, a process the actress revealed took three hours to complete.
Donning the infamous red Baywatch swimsuit, James boasts a near-perfect accent, not an easy feat for the British actress to accomplish.
Director Craig Gillespie praised James for her ability to be absorbed by Anderson, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
“It’s been an incredible journey for them to do that transformation, physically with their training, but also what they’re doing as actors. It’s such a tall order whenever you’re taking on iconic characters in the media, and they’re going to be scrutinized a lot,”
He added: “And trying to take on a character like Pamela, who’s so familiar, and to be able to do what is not just an impersonation, is a daunting task for an actor. I think audiences will be incredibly surprised by just how much Lily’s been able to bring that character to life as a fully formed person, as opposed to an impersonation.”
The main challenge both Stan and James faced was having to combat the public’s perception of Lee and Anderson in the aftermath of the leak.
While Lee was able to make fun of himself in various interviews and his memoir, Anderson’s already shaky reputation was hit once more.
In 1996, Andersen had no supporters online as most celebrities do now; there was nobody starting up a discussion about her privacy or well-being online.
Instead, Anderson is still the primary antagonist of the story despite suffering the most, both in her marriage to Lee and the subsequent media attention she received.
Lily James and Sebastian Stan have immense shoes to fill, and the trailer presents a promising start.
Gillespie also hinted at the fans’ surprise about James’ acting range, which he feels she was unable to display in previous roles.
He believes she was the perfect performer to be able to “bring that character to life as a fully formed person, as opposed to being an impersonation.”
The world can only wait and see whether or not James and Stan did their homework and if their take on the juggernaut that was the Anderson-Lee marriage is something worth discussing for years to come.
