Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has admitted she never read a handwritten letter given to her by actress Lily James prior to portraying Anderson in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy series.
The show, available to stream on Disney+, follows the story of Anderson’s leaked sex tape with then-husband and Mötley Crüe singer Tommy Lee – a traumatic experience the 55-year-old told The New York Times “was already hurtful enough the first time” without having to read James’ letter.
“It’s like one of those things where you’re going, ‘Really?’ People are still capitalising off that thing?” Anderson said.
The Canadian actress had distanced herself from the limited series since production began in early 2021, turning down an offer to be a part of the show.
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Friends and supporters of Anderson also publicly spoke out against the series, with Courtney Love taking to Facebook to say the sex tape “destroyed my friend Pamela’s life” and that Pam & Tommy was “further causing her complex trauma.”
A source also spoke out about the level of emotional damage the leaked sex tape had caused Anderson in an interview with People Magazine.
“This was a very traumatic time of her life,” the insider said.
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Lily James had sent Pamela Anderson a handwritten letter, which Anderson never read.
“She’s a really good person, and I think all she’s really ever wanted was to be married and have a partner and have a nice life.”
James also addressed the controversy, saying the issue of adding to Anderson’s exploitation by acting in the show was something she is “really sensitive” to.
“I just know that my intentions – our intentions – were good. I would never have come on board if I didn’t think it was a worthy story to look at in order to provoke a conversation about how we treat women,” James said.
Anderson will be releasing her own documentary titled Pamela, a Love Story on Netflix, which will explore her experience of the aftermath of the leaked sex tape and the revival of the scandal with Pam & Tommy, which Anderson said made her “feel sick” in a teaser trailer for the documentary.
“I blocked that stolen tape out of my life in order to survive,” Anderson said.
“And now that it’s all coming up again, I feel sick.”
Pamela, a Love Story will be available to stream on Netflix from January 31.
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