Lily James is going to miss her days as Pamela Anderson.
The Pam & Tommy actress spoke about what it was like to embody the Baywatch star in a new interview with Net-a-Porter, published on Monday, Jan. 10, saying that the experience was "really thrilling."
"I've never done anything where I look very different from myself before," Lily shared. "And I'd really like to continue in this vein, because I felt there was something very freeing and liberating in it. There was a bravery that came from that."
As part of her transformation, the Pursuit of Love actress was tanned to the high heavens before donning a wig and chest plate, a process that took about four hours. Lily said she was amazed by the end results, explaining, "Slowly, our incredible team found a balance where I resembled Pamela but also felt like I could act through it."
And though some celebrities have expressed discomfort with the prosthetics and heavy makeup that come with transformations like this, Lily expressed sadness over taking off the costume.
"I hated it," she stated. "It was like being stripped of all these superpowers! I'd really enjoyed the physicality and the sensuality, even down to the long fingernails."
But Lily's transformation went beyond the physical aspects, with the actress saying that she poured over Pamela's memoirs, interviews and other materials. According to the Downton Abbey actress, she's "never worked so hard" to prepare for a role, adding, "My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically."
Nonetheless, Lily is disappointed she wasn't able to speak to Pamela, who she reached out to prior to filming. "I was really hopeful that she would be involved," the star admitted. "I wish it had been different."
Pamela has yet to address the Hulu limited series, which will explore the moment her and ex-husband Tommy Lee's sex tape was leaked on the internet.
And though Lily's never had such an intimate moment shared with the world, she said she can "relate" to some of the challenges Pamela faced.
In October 2020, Lily was photographed kissing Pursuit of Love co-star Dominic West, who has been married to Irish landscape designer Catherine FitzGerald since 2010. She later said in an interview that she wasn't willing to address the subject, but noted, "There is a lot to say, but not now, I'm afraid."
The limited series premieres on Hulu Feb. 2.