How Thing About Pam Cast Compares to The People They Portray

Everyone is talking about NBC's new true crime drama, The Thing About Pam. So how closely do star Renée Zellweger and the rest of the cast resemble their real-life counterparts?

By Jillian Fabiano Mar 11, 2022 5:00 PMTags
Watch: Renee Zellweger Transforms for "The Thing About Pam"

We're doing so many double-takes that we're getting whiplash! 

NBC's The Thing About Pam—which follows the stranger-than-fiction murder of Betsy Faria—premiered March 8 on NBC. And now, we're taking a look at how the cast compares to the actual people that they portray.

The Renée Zellweger-led true crime series, which also stars Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon and Glenn Fleshler—is based on Dateline's coverage of the murder of Betsy Faria in her home in 2011 "for which her husband Russell was convicted in 2013," Zellweger explained in an E! News interview.

The Oscar winner stars as Pam Hupp, a pal of Betsy who was not all she seemed.

"We are doing a deep dive into the absurdity of Pam [Hupp]'s interpretation of events," she said.

And although her transformation into Pam is uncanny, it certainly wasn't easy. In the series, Zellweger dons a wig, facial prosthetics and a body suit. 

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2022 TV Premiere Dates

While we wait for new episodes to drop weekly, scroll through to see how the cast and real-players compare!

E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.

Renée Zellweger as Pam Hupp

A wig, facial prosthetics and a body suit helped Renée Zellweger transform into Pam Hupp. The daily makeover took "a couple hours," Zellweger revealed to E! "We started about four and we whittled it down to about two."

Josh Duhamel as Joel Schwartz

Josh Duhamel didn't need prosthetics—he has Joel's hair and suit down! 

Glenn Fleshler as Russ Faria

Glenn Fleshler plays Russ Faria, Betsy's husband, and with the goatee, we can see the resemblance.

On Dec. 27, 2011, he found his wife covered in blood inside their home and assumed she had taken her own life. He was later arrested and convicted of her murder, but was acquitted of the crime in 2015.

Judy Greer as Leah Askey

Although Judy Greer doesn't exactly look like Leah Askey—the Lincoln County prosecutor who tried Russ Faria—they have the same-colored hair, matching lipstick and similar facial expressions.

Katy Mixon as Betsy Faria

Katy Mixon stars as Betsy Faria, who was found dead on Dec. 27, 2011 in her Missouri home.

From the curly hair to the eyes, Mixon bears a passing resemblance. 

New episodes of The Thing About Pam air every Tuesday on NBC.

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