Lily James spent roughly four hours every day in hair and makeup in order to transform herself into Pamela Anderson, whom she plays in the new Hulu series, Pam & Tommy.
Speaking to Porter, the actor, who had to wear a prosthetic bodysuit for filming, explained the lengthy process, revealing it was the first time she’d ever had to undergo such a radical physical transformation for a role.
“I’ve never done anything where I look very different from myself before,” she told the magazine.
“Slowly, our incredible team found a balance where I resembled Pamela but also felt like I could act through it.”
Barryn Lee Moe, the hair stylist working on the series told Refinery29 that “it was such a collaborative process”.
“So much of what the look ended up being relied on all of our teams working in harmony together to really successfully portray this look,” he added.
“Pam Anderson is iconic in every way, shape and form, so to dive into that world and break it down through images was really exciting.”
In the interview, James went on to say that she enjoyed the process of changing her appearance so drastically for a job.
“And I’d really like to continue in this vein, because I felt there was something very freeing and liberating in it. There was a bravery that came from that. A courage that came from… disappearing.”
As for when she returned to her usual self after filming, James teased: “I hated it. It was like being stripped of all these superpowers! I’d really enjoyed the physicality and the sensuality, even down to the long fingernails.
“There was just so much character to hold on to – it was really thrilling.”
