Acting Up: Lily James
Welcome to ACTING UP, the place where we celebrate standout performances in TV, streaming and film. Other than spotlighting exceptional work from recent projects, this feature also shines a light on how certain actors got where they are today. Have a peek and then check out these notable performances to help hone your craft.
The Snapshot:
Lily James plays blonde bombshell/Baywatch star Pamela Anderson in the sometimes sweet story of star-crossed love and a sex-tape-gone-wild in Pam & Tommy.
(The eight-episode miniseries premiered on Hulu on February 2nd. New episodes drop on Tuesday.)
The Performance:
When it comes to capturing the essence of the 1990s, few series do as bang-up a job taking us back to this more innocent time as Pam & Tommy. Before things such as the Web and internet porn were here to stay, there was a couple in deep, deep love, for a short period of time… and VHS players. Enter Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, two celebs who unknowingly gave birth to one of the other cultural phenomenons born out of the 1990s: the celebrity sex tape.
Pamela Anderson, a small-town Canadian who’d become famous for rescuing people pretending to drown on Baywatch just so they could meet her, had become a “sex symbol” thanks in part to her numerous Playboy pictorials. Although Anderson seemingly embraced this part of her brand, Pam & Tommy shows Anderson (played by Lily James in a stunning transformation from her Downton Abbey character) as more layered and profoundly troubled than anyone knew by this tape’s existence and its eventual non-consensual release.
In fact, Anderson is portrayed way more as a victim of a circumstance than an opportunist in Pam & Tommy. In the pilot, where Lee (played with entertaining vigor by the Winter Soldier himself, Sebastian Stan) is portrayed as a sociopath with little regard for common decency, the Mötley Crüe drummer fires and stiffs a carpenter (Seth Rogen) who’s working at their Malibu home.
But as the motive and machinations of how the celebrity sex tape would eventually get sold to a global audience crystallize, we spend the first few episodes witnessing Pam and Tommy’s fairy tale love story that feels as oddly romantic as it is unlikely after meeting at a New Years Eve party in ‘94. Struck hard by Cupid’s arrow, it goes way beyond love at first sight, to become more married at first sight as the couple ties the knot in Mexico within 96 hours of meeting.
By that point, this couple’s profound spiritual connection and courtship is a thing of legends. One of the things that make this series as good as it is is the authenticity of the portrayals – the costumes, makeup and acting of the two main characters who nail their real-life subjects with uncanny excellence. Especially James as Pamela, who dons chest prosthetics, a constant spray tan and even acrylic dentures to master the look of Anderson. Also, by capturing the blonde bombshell’s essence, James reminds the viewers of Anderson’s bubbly, disarming joie de vivre.
Considering James is a brunette, British and otherwise has little in common with Anderson’s upbringing, her performance is worthy of note. In a role that could’ve settled for surface deep, settling for broadly accepted stereotypes (a sex symbol attracted to rock stars!), James goes a bit deeper to express her ambitions. In one scene, Anderson meets with a PR expert and with whip-smart dialogue says who she wants to rival in search of her own identity/narrative: Jane Fonda.
“She’s like… ‘I am this badass, sex bomb, anti-war, workout video-selling action chick and if you’ve got a problem with it, fuck you,” expresses Pamela in earnest regarding her fondness to Fonda. It’s a scene that shows Pamela’s dreams to exist beyond the surface, and James sells it incredibly well as she proves to be the beating heart of a time-capsule series that, when it comes to the story of Pamela and Tommy, shows all.
The Career:
After peeking at her IMDb, you might be surprised to learn that the 32-year-old James has done roughly 20 films and TV projects to date. Having played roles in everything from Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) as a young Meryl Streep to the series she and others won two SAG-ensemble awards for in 2015 and 2016, Downton Abbey, it seems no role in her prior filmography would predictably dovetail into the portrayal of Pamela Anderson per se.
However, this U.K.-born lover of Disney princess movies who broke through as the lead in Kenneth Branagh’s live-action film Cinderella (2015) clearly has some acting chops. Not surprising given James studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (the school of Michaela Coel and Daniel Craig) graduating back in 2010 – the same year she was cast in her first British TV series, Just William. Although she would go on to do other notable films such as Baby Driver (2017) and The Darkest Hour (2017), she had yet to catapult to stardom.
Until now.
It’s as Pamela Anderson that audiences will get a performance from James they can’t ignore, even though they might not recognize her thanks to four hours spent in hair and makeup daily. Thanks to her commitment to the role, its authenticity, and the crew that made it possible, it’s a performance you’d think would make even the ‘90s bombshell proud. However, it’s worth noting that as much as James hoped to get the blessing from Anderson herself to bring this story to life, it reportedly never happened according to this LA Times piece. Maybe one day as James’ sympathetic portrayal breathes life and compassion into a story that ultimately wins new appreciation for Anderson as it paints a never-before-seen picture of her victimization at the hands of the sex tape and a disgruntled contractor, opportunists and the power of the internet.
Looking to get your big break? Sign up or login to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!
Related articles:
Acting Up: Odessa A’zion
Acting Up: Anya Taylor-Joy
Acting Up: Sebastian Stan
Gregg Rosenzweig has been a writer, creative director and managing editor for various entertainment clients, ad agencies and digital media companies over the past 20 years. He is also a partner in the talent management/production company, The Rosenzweig Group.
