Maybe Hulu’s Pam & Tommy Isn’t Worth Making If It Re-Traumatizes Pamela Anderson
Hulu has been heavily pushing the upcoming biographic miniseries drama Pam & Tommy, which stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, depicting the couple’s romance and the nonconsensual distribution of their sex tape. Anderson has remained outspoken about being uncomfortable about this, and viewers are taking note.
During an interview for Porter, James spoke about how she wanted to get Anderson involved with the project. “I was really hopeful that she would be involved. I wish it had been different,” James said. “My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically.”
Yet it has been made clear that Anderson had “no involvement whatsoever” in the making of the show, according to an insider. But it has also been a very painful experience to see retold.
“The upcoming Pam & Tommy Hulu series has been very painful for Pamela Anderson and for anyone that loves her,” a source told ET. “It is shocking that this series is allowed to happen without her approval.”
“Pamela has no regrets about her life,” they continued, “but the only thing she would probably erase is this burglary. She feels so violated to this day. It brings back a very painful time for her.”
In 1995, an electrician stole the tape from a safe in the Lee-Anderson household. The tape was filled of intimate moments from their honeymoon, which were never meant to be shared with the world. It was then distributed on the internet and made Anderson the subject of mockery.
It is important to remember that Anderson was seen as a sex symbol, and that already made her seem like a fair punching bag to others. Her posing in Playboy was also used against her. But Anderson has also been clear that she is a survivor of sexual violence, and a stolen sex tape is not the same as posing in a magazine. It is a violation and a type of assault.
The relationship between Lee and Anderson was also very toxic, and he was arrested for assaulting Anderson, before they finally divorced in 1998. As recently as 2018, the two still have their issues about this period in their lives.
In comparison to his ex-wife’s feelings on the miniseries, “Tommy feels fine about the series coming out and is excited to see it. He still doesn’t understand how this incident impacts Pamela differently from himself.”
Of course not.
We are in a time period when documentaries, miniseries, and films are being used to shine a light on the sexist ways in which the media has participated in the harassment and trauma of women, especially women who were being violated. It makes sense that this is one of the incidents people want to highlight.
However, unlike I, Tonya or American Crime Story: Impeachment, the female subject who was adversely affected and is there to be “redeemed” does not want it to happen.
That should matter.
Pam & Tommy could be great, and I hope it does attempt to add nuance to Pam Anderson’s story, but despite all the controversy around her, Anderson is alive and well and fully capable of speaking for herself. And she’s made her opinion known.
(via Buzzfeed, image: Hulu)
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