Why Pamela Anderson Doesn't Fault Lily James for Pam & Tommy Role

Pamela Anderson is letting Lily James off the hook.

While the Baywatch star has been outspoken about her distaste for Pam & Tommy—even saying she felt "violated" by the Hulu limited series—she doesn't blame Lily for how she portrayed her.

"It's not her fault, it's a job," Pamela recently told The Guardian. "But whoever created it—well, it just feels like something else stolen."

While not critical of Lily for taking the part in the show—which followed her marriage to M?tley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee—Pamela did manage to get in a slight dig. "I heard she'd been nominated for an Emmy," she added, "but maybe that was a joke." (It was, in fact, not a joke. Lily was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the 2022 ceremony, though Amanda Seyfried took home the trophy for her work on Hulu's The Dropout.)

Prior to the series' release in February 2022, one of Pam & Tommy's writers, D.V. DeVincentis, indicated that they actually had reached out to Pamela.

Pam and Tommy Cast vs. the Real-Life Players

"We particularly wanted to let Pamela Anderson know that this portrayal was very much a positive thing and that we cared a great deal about her and wanted her to know that the show loves her," he told Entertainment Weekly. "We didn't get a response, but considering what she's been through and the time that we were reaching out, that was understandable."

The series details, in part, the theft of Pamela and Tommy's infamous sex tape, which was stolen and later released by Rand Gauthier, played by Seth Rogen in the series, an electrician fired by Tommy. After a dispute, Rand stole Tommy's safe, which housed the tape, jewelry, cash and some guns.

Pamela has refused to pay much mind to the series since it was first announced—citing that the stolen sex tape remains a harmful sore subject all these years later.

"Pam will never watch the Pam & Tommy Hulu series," a source told E! News in February of last year. "This burglary is the only thing in her life she would erase from her life. It haunts her to this day."

The source continued, "It was a violation having this tape taken. This was a very traumatic time in her life. And it's shocking that they are recreating it."

Pam & Tommy is available to stream on Hulu.

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