Lily James as Pamela Anderson (photo credit Hulu)
“But its curiosity and sensitivity toward its subjects set it apart.”
— DANIEL D’ADDARIO
Variety.com recently published Pam & Tommy’ Is a Startlingly Sensitive Look at Tabloid History: TV Review, with kind credit afforded to Lily James’ portrayal of Pam as, “an outright triumph, both of acting and of special-effects makeup.”
Pamela Anderson idolizes Jane Fonda for her self-empowerment and for overcoming the limits of Hollywood stereotypes often tied to fame and beauty. But Anderson has lost control of her own image, mainly due to one notorious event—a stolen sex tape that went on to become internet fodder with enormous, scandalized fallout.
The series title speaks to the lead roles of both Pam and Tommy in this 90’s-era “high-tech” crime story, but it is Pam who is center stage. It is her story, her uninvited battle with scandal, and her search for ever-elusive respite and control within the relentless media storm.
With such inescapable attention upon the character, Lily James is a remarkable presence in this role. And it is being noted that her adept achievement has been helped in part by the carefully crafted makeup effects designed and fitted by Jason Collins and his team at Autonomous F/X.
Daniel D’Addario of Variety says, “James’ Pam is an outright triumph, both of acting and of special-effects makeup. To the latter point first, even viewers (like this one) not particularly concerned with visual realness will be genuinely stunned by the degree to which James has been made to resemble the Pam of the 1990s. Meticulousness of this sort can sometimes stand in for insight about a character, but here, it allows James leeway to push into aspects of Anderson we might not expect. The makeup department, in so precisely crafting an image, gives James the room to subvert it.”
“Curious.” “Sensitive.” “Scandalous.” “Triumph.” — all words from D’Addario describing Pam and Tommy and the team behind it. Now airing on Hulu.
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