The 2022 Emmy Awards nominations are out, and Hulu’s divisive—and arguably one of its most talked-about releases this year—Pam & Tommy, which is about the leak of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s sex tape in the ’90s, has garnered a whopping ten nominations. The limited series is competing under the Outstanding Limited or Anthology series category, as well as the Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Lead Actor, and Outstanding Supportive Actor in A Limited Series or Anthology Series for its stars Lily James, Sebastian Stan, and Seth Rogen, respectively.
Before getting into it, I’d just like to point out that we are all well aware that many biopics have been made in the past where the subject has refused to take part in the production. This CBCNews piece best explains the legal realities of telling stories of this nature:
“If you’re telling a true story in the public interest and particularly about well-known people, there’s a right to freedom of expression in [Canada],” Tara Parker, an entertainment lawyer, explained to the outlet. “There’s first amendment rights in the U.S., and that’s really protected.”
But the fact that it’s legal shouldn’t exonerate the show from the backslash it has been receiving. Both Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson had no participation in the making of the show, although Lee has said that he’s talked to Sebastian Stan about it and commended the actor’s portrayal of him, which isn’t all too far from his stance on the leak during the ‘90s that any publicity is good publicity.
Producers of the show had optioned the rights to a 2014 article published by The Rolling Stone, which recounted the entire issue from the burglary to the court cases that followed. Its showrunners, and star Lily James herself, have recounted, on multiple occasions, their attempts to reach out to Pamela Anderson throughout the production, receiving no response. They have also been very expressive of their ultimate goal in reframing the infamous leak and shedding light on how the public had failed Anderson especially. And to be fair, the show very much loves Pam throughout the course of its narrative, but ultimately, it just isn’t it.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Anderson’s confidante and longtime friend, rocker Courtney Love, personally expressed her disappointment on behalf the Baywatch icon when images of Stan and James as the famous exes first went viral:
“I find this so f**king outrageous . When Pam / tommy sex tape was out / myself @pattyschemel @xmadmx were making a record. And the lone women in many recording studios in la… Where all / ALL! The staff engineers / producers / owners / were watching the sex tape with huge schadenfraude . . Guffaws , It was disgusting . I banned anyone discussing it. It destroyed my friend Pamelas life . Utterly. Last week I was asked to approve using a rolling stone cover of mine / shot by mark seliger in this piece of s**t . That they had approved . I said “f**k no .” shocked . Gentleman don’t approve this sort of thing . My heart goes out to Pammy… further causing her complex trauma . And shame on lily James whoever the f**k she is . #vile.”
The miniseries recreates portions of the infamous sex tape and even goes so far as to have the audience hear Stan and James having intercourse in several scenes. For a series that preaches about the importance of consent, it feels too irresponsible and hypocritical to have created this without the express consent of the primary victim of this scandal. They had the choice, all along, not to move forward without Anderson’s approval. The Pam & Tommy team may have had good intentions in reclaiming this story for what it was: an invasion of privacy and public maligning of a woman—but that narrative wasn’t for them to take. It was for Pamela Anderson’s and hers alone.
Last year, Monica Lewinsky was finally given her due. After years of publicly speaking about her experiences as a young White House staffer thrown into the eye of a scandal, she was given a wider platform through Ryan Murphy’s Impeachment. Her close involvement with the show allowed her to tell her side of the story perfectly and in such a manner that would give her closure and power over what had happened to her. This isn’t what Pam & Tommy achieved, which, in essence, defeats the point.
In an exclusive February 2022 interview, a source close to Pamela Anderson said, “Imagine if a celebrity today had their nudes leaked and then Hollywood recreated not just the crime but the actual nudes—that would never happen. In the ’90s, Pamela’s body was deemed by a judge to be public property. There was no question the tape was stolen property, but the court decided it wasn’t private property because her body belonged to the world. Pamela is somehow still the exception to the rule. She’s still up for grabs. That’s messed up.”
And this person isn’t wrong. Pamela Anderson was violated and made to believe that she had no control or power over her own body. And casting light over what had happened to her all those years ago—no matter how tasteful, artistic, or accurate—will do more harm than good until she decides that she’s ready to talk about it on her own terms.
(featured image: Hulu)
