Lily James on Her Physical Transformation in Pam and Tommy

We were thrilled to sit down with Lily James to talk about her role as Pamela Anderson in Pam and Tommy and how she found the clues to Pamela in the script and through time specific interviews in order to create her own interpretation. Lily was determined to take on the physicality and rhythm of Pamela’s voice and emphasized how difficult it was to do with its articulations and consonants while having fake teeth in. Trying and failing to recreate Pamela’s overbite and lips on her own, Lily talked through  how her performance didn’t come together until everything was in place on set through prosthetics.

Since both she and Sebastian had different eye colors, they had to wear colored contact lenses, which, combined with the fog on set, made it impossible for her to see sometimes. Lily, describing her preparation, also talked about the sexism in the media narrative and how infuriating it was to confront in her research. Ultimately, she tried to find the truth not only through Pamela’s interview footage but through her book, which acted as a kind of diary and a compilation of her experiences.

The more she researched and shot, the more Lily found the story between Pam and Tommy and the pressures on their relationship to be relatable, and was really able to lean into her imagination and connect on a human level.

Watch the full conversation below.

Q&A on the series Pam & Tommy with actor Lily James. Moderated by Mara Webster, In Creative Company.

Follows the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's relationship, going back to their whirlwind romance that started with them marrying after only knowing each other for 96 hours in 1995.