When the first promotional photographs dropped for Craig Gillespie’s Pam & Tommy biopic, depicting the stunning transformations of Sebastian Stan and Lily James, the internet almost went into a meltdown greater than when the infamous video of the two subjects leaked online. Now the director of Cruella has been speaking about the performances behind the pictures, calling the duo’s work on the Hulu series “electric”.
While doing the rounds for his Disney origin story, Gillespie spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the day the photographs of Stan and James dropped, saying that “I was in the middle of shooting that day on Pam & Tommy, and every time I stepped out of the set, everybody was kind of going nuts about the response that was happening. I didn’t expect it at all. I actually wasn’t even sure they were dropping photographs. But they were the photographs that I had wanted them to drop, particularly that black-and-white one. I just so felt that it encapsulated their relationship, in the show as well.”
He went on to talk about how their performances are much more than simply a phenomenal make-up job, saying “It’s been an incredible journey for them to do that transformation, physically with their training, but also what they’re doing as actors”, he added “It’s such a tall order whenever you’re taking on iconic characters in the media, and they’re going to be scrutinized a lot. And trying to take on a character like Pamela, who’s so familiar, and to be able to do what is not just an impersonation, is a daunting task for an actor. I think audiences will be incredibly surprised by just how much Lily’s [James] been able to bring that character to life as a fully formed person, as opposed to an impersonation.”
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Gillespie continued to endorse his star duo as he talked about the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg produced eight-episode series, claiming that “It’s been so much fun to do, I’ve got to say. The two of them in scenes together, I’m finding them quite electric.”
Pam & Tommy follows the story of their relationship going back to their whirlwind romance that started with them marrying after only knowing each other for 96 hours in 1995.
Directed by I, Tonya’s Craig Gillespie, the film features a cast that includes Taylor Schilling, Nick Offerman, Spenser Granese, Mozhan Marnò, Andrew Dice Clay and Pepi Sonuga.