Lily James and Sebastian Stan went all-out for their performance in Pam & Tommy. James looked almost unrecognizable as the beach blonde Pamela Anderson, while Stan nailed his portrayal of the wild Tommy Lee. The Hulu original series received 10 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or movie. The pair’s performance was genuinely transformative, a far cry from their well-known roles in Downton Abbey and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Related: Lily James Receives Her First Emmy Nomination for Pam & Tommy
The series uncovered the truth behind Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, shedding light on the couple’s sex tape, which became public. They didn’t release it on their own, but Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen) was cheated out of a lump sum from Tommy Lee, stole from the couple’s safe, made copies of the tape, and in turn sold it. Following the release to the broader public, the video was shared across the internet, and the rest is history. During an interview with Deadline, Lily James and Sebastian Stan dove into the process of transforming into Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. When asked how James knew she could turn into Anderson, the actress says she ‘really didn’t’ know whether she could.
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“I didn’t, I really didn’t. But I was so intrigued by this insane possibility… It was a very long process which started, like, months before with just like watching every single interview of her, ever, and then the amazing makeup work and all the stuff. Although, the first time I started speaking along, I was very intrigued by the way she spoke and her humor deflecting, and the way she held herself and I suddenly found myself like, ‘Oh, I can see that, I recognize that, I understand that.’
Sebastian Stan Says it Took ‘Repetition Everyday’ to Get Into the Tommy Lee Role
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Sebastian Stan’s role in Pam & Tommy was just as important as James’ titular character, and the actor took his part incredibly seriously. He claims it took ‘repetition every day’ to nail his performance, and he took a month to himself to practice what he would be like as Tommy Lee.
Related: How Hulu’s Pam & Tommy Series Succeeds at Healing Old Wounds
“Yeah it was just repetition every day, kind of, just, I was lucky because I had this one month by myself before we really started where I would just kind of have this routine, you know. I get up in the morning and then fast for a while, and then go like, try to get 20,000 steps in LA, and run like walk, and I would listen to interviews that I put together, and then the drum teacher will come by in the afternoon. And then I get a text once a week from Rob being like, ‘Did you get the twirling yet?’ [Laughs] And I was like, ‘Oh my god I gotta get the stick twirl.'”
Stan and James shared a transformative process with their roles in Pam & Tommy, and their dedication is rewarded with their flurry of Emmy nominations. You can tune into the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept 12 and check whether Sebastian Stan, Lily James, and the rest of the Pam & Tommy crew walk away with any hardware.
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