In December 2020, it was announced that James, 32, would be taking on the iconic role alongside Sebastian Stan, who will be portraying Tommy Lee.

According to Hulu, the show will be “a comedic limited series [based] on the true story behind the release of the first-ever viral video in history — the sex tape of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.”

Anderson was married to Lee from 1995 to 1998. They share sons Brandon and Dylan.

Hulu offered fans a first look at James and Stan in their new roles in May 2021 and the resemblance was uncanny.

A week later, James was spotted in a bathing suit similar to Anderson’s during her time on Baywatch. In photos published by the Daily Mail, the Downton Abbey alum looked identical to Anderson.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star later shared more information about how the original internet-breaking photos of the pair came to be.

“I don’t remember who, I think it was probably Craig [Gillespie], who said, ‘Hey, let’s go out in the sun and why do don’t we do that?’ We were like, ‘Oh, that’s fun.’ And then we just did it,'” Stan told Variety at the time.

The director of the limited series about the Baywatch star and the Mötley Crüe rocker also weighed in on the experience of transforming the leads into their counterparts.

“It’s been an incredible journey for them to do that transformation, physically with their training, but also what they’re doing as actors,” Gillespie said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “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.

He continued: “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 been able to bring that character to life as a fully formed person, as opposed to an impersonation.”

Scroll down for a glimpse at James looking unrecognizable as Anderson:

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Yana Grebenyuk