As a Marvel fan, I have seen an abundance of Sebastian Stan films and shows, from The Bronze, to The Falcon and The WinterSoldier. Similarly, Lily James’ 2015 adaptation of Cinderella is one of my comfort films, so the combination of the two actors piqued my interest in their most recent project – an eight-part adaptation of the sex scandal which broke the internet, based on the 2014 Rolling Stone article ‘Pam and Tommy: The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Sex Tape’, by Amanda Chicago Lewis.
The article, and the subsequent television series, delves into the unbelievable from-start-to-finish tale of Pamela Anderson (Baywatch) and Tommy Lee (drummer of Mötley Crüe). It begins with their marriage, just four days after meeting each other for the second time in Cancún, to their highly public relationship when they got back after returning to the USA. This is portrayed alongside the story of Rand Gauthier – a disgruntled electrician who, after being rudely laid-off by Lee, disguises himself as the couple’s dog and proceeds to steal their safe filled with Lee’s gun collection, Anderson’s jewellery, and the infamous videotape which started the ‘sex-tape’ culture of today.
Created by Robert Siegel, developed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and directed by Craig Gillespie from I, Tonya fame, the series has been aired on Hulu in the US, and on Disney Plus for those of us in the UK, with episodes released every Wednesday. The star-studded cast, led by James and Stan, as well as Rogen himself appearing as Rand, has hit the nail on the head with the signature looks of those involved. James is unrecognisable as Anderson, while Stan sports head-to-toe tattoos, fake nipple piercings and black curtains for a signature Tommy Lee look.
The show also follows the reality of the events which transpired to a relatively accurate extent – Stan has an unforgettable two way conversation with his penis, in a scene which can only be described as hallucinogenic, but has in fact been lifted directly from the opening of Lee’s own memoir. However, we can also see the show taking artistic licence in certain places, perhaps trying to highlight the crazy reality of the story. In the series, Pam and Tommy get married four days after their first meeting, and Rand gets to work on the break-in plan after the two return from their honeymoon whereas, in actuality, he was probably planning the break-in whilst they were away, before completing it a few days before Halloween 1995.
Having known little-to-nothing about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee before watching the series, the story that unfolds can only be described as hellish for the two. The scenes where Pam and Tommy experience a heartbreaking miscarriage are juxtaposed by the perverse nature of the paparazzi. In particular, episode six ‘Pamela in Wonderland’ is sickening from start to finish, as Anderson is forced to watch excerpts from the leaked sex-tape in front of various different lawyers during her deposition, a scenario which Lee does not have to endure.
Throughout Pam & Tommy the question of consent and autonomy arises, as although stolen, an argument is made that the sex tape is not showing the public “anything they haven’t seen before”. Anderson’s career as Baywatch’s C.J. and a Playboy model is thrown in her face, as different lawyers and TV show hosts argue that she has already made a career out of selling ‘pornographic’ images of herself – so how is the tape any different?
The negative backlash of the tape also remains solely on Anderson, as Lee is congratulated for the video. In a scene in episode five ‘Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie in Duluth’, a drunk Lee is approached in the bathroom of a club, where he is congratulated on the tape being the “best thing [he’s] released since ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’”. Lee responds angrily, beating up the two men that approached him, not for the objectification of him and his wife, rather because ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ was released in 1987, and the action is taking place in 1996 – meaning the tape must be better than nine years of new releases from Mötley Crüe.
Both Stan and James embody their characters, not just through costume, makeup and vocal changes, but also through the personalities they exude. James shows the sweeter side of Anderson, exploring her backstory as a waitress from Canada, through to the spirituality both her and Lee follow. Stan portrays Lee’s hyperactive mentality with ease well, showing him to be carefree and loving, as well as highly emotive – switching between angry and happy with a moment's notice. His hectic characterisation presents him as more childlike than Anderson, perhaps due to the burden that his character doesn’t have to endure.
Of course, Stan’s accurate character representation can be put down to the fact that he spent time with the real Tommy Lee during filming, as Lee himself was a fan of the series being made. This is where the events of Pam & Tommy get uncomfortable, however. The series explores what a lack of autonomy and consent can do to individual people, as well as a relationship, with the release of the sex tape being the start of the end for Anderson and Lee’s marriage. However, it was knowingly made and released without the approval of the real Pamela Anderson. James’ representation of Anderson does paint her in a very sympathetic light, however, this was done whilst knowing that Anderson herself did not want the series made. It makes the viewing experience just a little bit harder after you expose yourself to that thought.
Although both public figures, the series explores a traumatic event that happened without a woman’s consent, made public again 27 years later, without the same woman’s consent. The series lays bare the question of autonomy for a famous couple, but does so without a satisfying answer in sight – after all, is it exposing the ferocious nature of the media, or just regurgitating a tragic tale of the nineties for the same media platforms to scrutinise it once again?
Editor’s Note: Pam & Tommy is available to stream on Disney+
