Why Lily James Nearly Quit Pam & Tommy Show | Screen Rant
Lily James might so far seem like the perfect person to play Pamela Anderson on Hulu's Pam & Tommy, but the actress wanted to quit early on.
Lily James opens up about why she nearly quit Hulu's Pam & Tommy. James is perhaps best known for more demure roles like Cinderella in Disney's live-action remake and Lady Rose Aldridge on Downton Abbey, which is why her next project is turning so many heads. She stars alongside Sebastian Stan in Pam & Tommy, the upcoming miniseries revolving around the turbulent and passionate relationship between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. Specifically, Pam & Tommy covers the controversial scandal of their leaked sex tape. The series also stars Seth Rogan, Nick Offerman, and Taylor Schilling.
Pam & Tommy instantly became a must-watch show when images of James and Stan in character were released last spring. Many praised the way Stan resembled Lee, but James had truly become unrecognizable thanks to her Anderson makeup. For many, that settled the question of whether the Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again actress could play Anderson. Pam & Tommy will premiere on Hulu in February, with the first three episodes arriving on the same day. The rest will roll out weekly.
James and Stan recently sat down with Variety for a special cover story promoting Pam & Tommy. In it, James opened up about how she prepared to play Anderson. She binge-watched Baywatch and learned the actress' mannerisms and speech patterns. While this definitely helped her with stepping into Anderson's shoes, James admitted it was so intense, it also made her nearly drop out of the series:
“I really wanted to pull out of this a week before,” she says, adding her feeling was “‘I can’t do it. I can’t do it.’ It just felt too frightening. But I think that’s a good place to work from because it keeps you growing and getting better, I hope.”
Playing a real life figure can be daunting, especially when dealing with delicate subject matter like Pam & Tommy does. James previously spoke about how she tried reaching out to Anderson, but never heard back. Pam & Tommy has drawn some controversy from those who know Anderson and Lee, with some seeing the project as exploitative. Those criticisms aside, though, it's clear James put in the work to ensure her portrayal of Anderson would be faithful and respectful. The pressure nearly got to her, but based on the early reactions to her performance, it's a good thing that she stuck with it.
Between the jaw-dropping physical transformations of its leading stars and the scandalous story at its center, Pam & Tommy is poised to be one of the biggest shows of the year. There might still be some trepidation over how the series chooses to portray Anderson and Lee's relationship, but audiences won't get the full scope of it all until it premieres in just a couple weeks. Only then will everyone get to see how well James' intense prep work pans out.
Pam & Tommy premieres Wednesday, February 2 on Hulu.
Source: Variety