"Pam & Tommy" Star Sebastian Stan Revealed The Bizarre Thing He Did To "Feel Like A Man" While Playing Tommy Lee, And Lily James' Reaction To It Is Priceless
Throughout the years, actors have done some pretty wild things to fully immerse themselves into their roles — from using prosthetics to undergoing dramatic body transformations. But perhaps none is as surprising and hilarious as Sebastian Stan's for Pam & Tommy.
The MCU star will grace our TV screens as Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, alongside Lily James' Pamela Anderson. The Hulu series, out today, traces the trajectory of the couple's whirlwind romance and stolen sex tape.
In a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, Sebastian revealed the (bizarre, hilarious, astounding) lengths he went to in order to transform into Tommy. And I'm NOT just talking about the fake nipple rings, tattoos, and face piercings.
"I think we were both just terrified to play these characters, they're real-life people," Sebastian said, adding that both he and Lily would "scream into pillows" in attempts to get their voices raspy enough for their characters. Sebastian would also do karaoke by himself and practice in a thong — something Tommy was known for doing while with the band.
"When you're carrying some...luggage around, you're OK in a thong," Sebastian joked.
Which leads us to Jimmy pulling up a baffling clip: In it, Sebastian can be seen in full makeup as Tommy, wearing a silk robe and khakis. He's wiggling his hips and, um, gyrating, and we can hear what can only be described as the sound of the balls in a Newton's Cradle.
You know, the thing with the four steel pendulum balls that demonstrate the conservation of energy and keep going for a while.
"What's going on here?" Jimmy asks, with Lily chiming in. "Yeah, Lily, you don't know about this," Sebastian begins to explain, which produces this exact reaction in his costar:
At this point, Sebastian explains that he was trained by renowned acting coach Larry Moss, who helped prepare Helen Hunt for her role in As Good As It Gets, for which she won an Oscar.
"He told Helen Hunt, 'You need to put nickels in your shoes when you're acting so you actually know what it’s like to stand up on your feet for 12 hours,'" Sebastian shared. "I said, 'Larry, I need something myself.'"
"Tommy was a big man," Sebastian added (yes, referencing, ahem, his well-endowed nature). "So, anyway, I wore these bare steel balls."
Which naturally leads Lily to have this reaction:
"I didn't wanna tell you," Sebastian began, before Lily added, "I'm so glad I didn't know!"
"Just in case you need a little weight when you walk into a room," Sebastian said, placing the balls on Jimmy's desk. "I know it sounds insane to you, but trust me, I was like, I need to kind of feel like a man."
And, before you ask, no, Lily did not, in fact, hear any "clanging" noises while filming and genuinely had no idea about this very unique behind-the-scenes fact.
Well, there you have it. Between a steel ballsack and a talking penis voiced by Jason Mantzoukas, Pam & Tommy is sure to be a — dare I say — heady adventure.
Hulu
