Watch Lily James's extreme Pamela Anderson makeover in first 'Pam & Tommy' trailer: 'I kept forgetting it was her'
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Next February, Hulu invites you back to travel back to 1995 — when Batman Forever was big at the box office, Friends fever ruled the airwaves and Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee were the biggest celebrities on a new platform called the internet. The streaming service's time machine isn't a DeLorean — it's the limited series, Pam & Tommy, which recreates one of that decade's biggest scandals: the stealing and leaking of the tabloid-friendly newlyweds's sex tape. Lily James and Sebastian Stan headline the series as Pam and Tommy respectively, and as you can see from the first trailer, they literally vanish into their roles. (Watch the teaser above.)
The two stars' incredible makeovers first went viral when the initial photos for Pam & Tommy hit the modern-day internet last spring. The two-minute trailer finally allows viewers to see James and Stan in action, along with Seth Rogen, who is one of the producers behind the show and also plays Rand Gauthier, the disgruntled electrician who stole and then leaked the notorious sex tape.
Pam & Tommy is directed by Craig Gillespie, who previously helmed I, Tonya. And like that acclaimed 2017 retelling of Tonya Harding's wild Olympics story — which won an Oscar nomination for Margot Robbie and an actual Oscar for Allison Janney — the show will put a comic spin on a piece of sordid '90s history.
In real life, of course, the release of the tape was no laughing matter for Anderson. Filmmaker David Hogan, who directed her cult 1996 comic book movie Barb Wire, told Yahoo Entertainment earlier this year that she was furious about the invasion of privacy and the cast and crew knew not to discuss the tape in her presence. "Of course, it was all the talk on the set," he added, recalling an incident when he walked in on some of the film's producers watching the tape in the production office.
The Pam & Tommy trailer suggests that Anderson and Lee will ultimately emerge as the heroes of this ribald, R-rated story, even as the series pokes fun at their larger-than-life pop culture image. But that might not be enough to satisfy early critics like Anderson's close friend, Courtney Love, who took to Facebook in May to slam the series in a since-deleted post. "I find this so f***ing outrageous," the singer wrote. "My heart goes out to Pammy. Further causing her complex trauma. Shame on Lily James, whoever the f*** she is."
Twitter, on the other hand, seems to know exactly who James is — and they're loving her Pamela makeover.
The "No, not like me you're not," line read in the Pam & Tommy trailer is golden. Lily James is a pro.
— Abolish the police (@TheFilmFeast) November 18, 2021
the makeup department for Pam and Tommy did their thing cause you can't even tell this is Lily😭 pic.twitter.com/dHj2TsQGkW
— SAM (@versacecore) November 18, 2021
just saw the pam and tommy trailer and lily james is playing margot robbie playing pamela anderson… i kept forgetting it was her
— daniela❤️🔥🎃 (@danimayssanchez) November 18, 2021
Lily James transformation into Pamela Anderson is unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/bDtDgAl0UZ
— {ANG£L} (@QUEER169) November 18, 2021
Can we talk about how Sebastian and Lily James are actually looking like Tommy & Pam personified. Like…damn
— Whit says let’s NaNoWriMo (@lifeWHITme) November 18, 2021
On the other hand, it'll apparently take more than eerily convincing make-up to convince some viewers to want to relive this particular slice of '90s history.
Who will be going to see Pam & Tommy? (Hard pass from me)
— Kristan Higgins (@Kristan_Higgins) November 18, 2021
I love Sebastian, but “Pam & Tommy” is a no from me. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/ypmIHUG2bl
— Sílvia (@JustMe_Silvia) November 18, 2021
K a movie about tommy lee and pam's sex tape is screaming we've run out of movie ideas
— M. HCHEAR (@MHCHEAR) November 18, 2021
The only Pam & Tommy we acknowledge... https://t.co/VLl1wihDCj pic.twitter.com/Arch8KJwQ2
— 🦍 (@Brady_Bright) November 18, 2021
Pam & Tommy premieres Feb. 2 on Hulu