Breaking the internet! Lily James and Sebastian Stan are unrecognizable as they channel their inner Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee for Hulu’s upcoming series about the former couple’s leaked sex tape.
The streaming service released the first look at Pam & Tommy, which is based on “the true story behind the release of the first-ever viral video in history — the sex tape of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee,” in November 2021.
After Anderson and Lee tied the knot one week after meeting each other in 1995, they filmed a tape on their honeymoon that found itself in the hands of former porn actor Rand Gauthier (played by Seth Rogen) and his accomplice Uncle Miltie (played by Nick Offerman).
“It’s so private,” Offerman’s character says in the first sneak peek at the series. “It’s like we’re seeing something we’re not supposed to be seeing. Which is kind of what makes it so hot.”
Shortly after the twosome acquired the tape, the Baywatch alum and the Mötley Crüe drummer were made aware of the leak.
“Every second that passes, this tape could be spreading,” James’ Anderson explains in the trailer. Stan, who plays the songwriter, doesn’t seem too fazed, replying, “Baby, we will get it back.”
The exes, who were married from 1995 to 1998, weren’t able to get the tape back, and it was eventually released online.
“I’m on that tape, same as you,” Stan’s version of Lee adds, to which James’ version of Anderson points out, “No, not like me you’re not.”
The model, who shares son Brandon (born in 1996) and son Dylan (born in 1997) with the musician, previously opened up about the video, which she referred to as “a compilation of vacations that we were naked on.”
“I’ve never seen it. I made not one dollar. It was stolen property. We made a deal to stop all the shenanigans,” Anderson detailed during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2015. “I was seven months pregnant with Dylan and thinking it was affecting the pregnancy with the stress and said, ‘I’m not going to court anymore. I’m not being deposed anymore by these horny, weird lawyer men. I don’t want to talk about my vagina anymore or my public sex — anything.”
Although she is not looking to reflect back on that time in her life, director Craig Gillespie weighed in on the hard work that went into the biographical series.
“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,” Gillespie said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2021. “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.”
Scroll on to see everything to know about the upcoming Hulu series:
The limited series will premiere its first three episodes on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 on Hulu. The remaining five episodes will stream weekly. Hulu/YouTube
Pam & Tommy will follow the relationship between the actress and the musician following their 1995 nuptials. After a tape of Anderson and Lee was stolen from their home, the Barb Wire star sued the video distribution company. The two parties agreed to a confidential settlement and the company later released the video on its websites again. Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
The first look at the series introduces Rogen's character, an electrician who gets fired by Lee and steals a safe that contains the infamous tape as revenge. After seeing its contents, Gauthier teams up with Miltie to sell the tape online. The clip also offered a glimpse at Anderson and Lee's attempts to get the tape back after discovering the leak, only for it to go live anyway. Hulu/YouTube
Lee previously voiced his support for Stan portraying him in Pam & Tommy, telling Entertainment Tonight in September 2021, "I know Sebastian, he's playing me. From what he's told me, it's a really beautiful story." "I think a lot of people would think it's [about] one thing, but it's really about privacy and how things got crazy then, There's different laws now," he noted at the time. "The story's actually cool. What actually happened wasn't, but [Stan] tells me it's pretty wild." Although Anderson hasn't shared her opinion publicly, her friend Courtney Love expressed her dissatisfaction with the concept. "When Pam / Tommy sex tape was out / myself @pattyschemel @xmadmx were making a record," Love wrote on Facebook in May 2021. "And the lone women in many recording studios in LA. Where all / ALL! The staff engineers / producers / owners / were watching the sex tape with huge schadenfraude.. Guffaws, It was disgusting. I banned anyone discussing it.. It destroyed my friend Pamelas life. Utterly." She added: "My heart goes out to Pammy ♥️♥️ further causing her complex trauma. And shame on Lily James whoever the f— she is. #vile." Peter Brooker/Shutterstock
0 Comments