Pamela Anderson Refuses To Forgive Lily James
Pamela Anderson refuses to speak to Lily James after the latter portrayed her in the Hulu series Pam & Tommy.
When Hulu released the miniseries Pam & Tommy about the infamous theft and distribution of a sex tape featuring Pamela Anderson and her then-husband Tommy Lee, they did so without the involvement or permission of Pamela Anderson herself. As you can imagine, she didn’t want that painful episode of her life brought back into the limelight and definitely didn’t enjoy the thought of people making money off of her victimization. As a result, Pamela Anderson told the New York Times that she refuses to speak to actress Lily James, who portrayed the Baywatch star in the series.
“It’s like one of those things where you’re going, ‘Really?’ People are still capitalizing off that thing?” Pamela Anderson said in the interview.
The series shows how Pamela Anderson, played by Lily James, tried unsuccessfully to stop the distribution of the sex tape. Porn producers made $77 million from distributing the sex tape, and a judge decided that the video should not be considered private property.
Anderson has famously refused to even watch the series, telling the New York Times that the trauma from the sex tape theft was “hurtful enough the first time.” Pamela Anderson reportedly received a hand-written letter from Lily James saying that she only meant to honor Anderson in the role, but Anderson has refused to even open it. To her, the series felt like Hulu trying to exploit her by yet again opening the wounds of a seriously damaging event.
In response to the unauthorized Hulu documentary, Pamela Anderson has teamed up with Netflix to produce her own documentary, presumably not starring Lily James. The documentary, which does not yet have a title, reportedly follows the actress’s personal and professional life. The creators of the series will have access to her personal journals, archival footage of her, and other resources that will give them a full look at her life.
While details are scarce, it’s almost certain that the Netflix Pamela Anderson documentary will cover far more of her life than just the sex tape fallout Lily James helped portray. Anderson has had a very eventful professional life, starting with a single-episode role in the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge and extending all the way through her role as Sheriff Rogers in the upcoming horror film Alone at Night. Along the way, she has appeared in 57 different roles, including appearances in Days of Our Lives, Baywatch, Home Improvement, V.I.P., Scary Movie 3, Futurama, and The Institute.
Pamela Anderson has not just been involved with acting either — she has been involved in a significant amount of activism as well. She has been a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics’s MAC AIDS Fund, wrote a letter to Barack Obama asking him to legalize cannabis, partnered with PETA to support animal rights, and campaigned on behalf of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Pamela Anderson has also spoken out against the porn industry, perhaps as a result of the experiences that Lily James portrayed in Pam & Tommy.
Outside of portraying Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy, Lily James has also had a busy acting career. Her first role was that of Ethel Brown in the 2010 comedy TV series Just William, and she made her big break into film with the role of Korrina in the 2012 film Wrath of the Titans. Since then, James has appeared in Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Baby Driver, and Rebecca.
