Gold Derby — Sebastian Stan (‘Pam and Tommy’) reveals trick to staying ‘at a level 10, no matter what’ while playing rock icon Tommy Lee
“I don’t play the drums, I don’t play any instrument,” confesses Sebastian Stan during our recent chat about his role as Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in the Hulu limited series “Pam and Tommy.” “I started taking drum lessons in January, about two-and-a-half months before we started. Everything about it was terrifying. It felt like big shoes to fill on every level. Personality-wise, certainly reputation-wise. Whether it was going to be believable. The idea of just going there was sort of terrifying.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Based on the 2014 Rolling Stone article “Pam and Tommy: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Sex Tape” by Amanda Chicago Lewis, the Hulu series follows the turbulent marriage of actress Pamela Anderson (played by Lily James) and Lee after their honeymoon sex tape is stolen and eventually launched on the internet for millions to see.
“The sex tape is the easiest thing to point the finger to, but then as you peel it apart you realize there’s all these other layers to it and there’s something extremely timely to it,” Stan says. “This celebrity obsession really started kicking up to a different level in the 90s. That has really percolated until today, including the loss of privacy and how we’re all affected by the internet and the parts that we play in it, anonymously. And the parts that the media plays, as well, shaping narratives that are not true.”
The actor says keeping up with Lee’s energy took a few tricks of his own. “He was always at a level 10, no matter what,” Stan explains. “That’s how he was written in the script and, if you look at the interviews, it almost feels like he’s always listening to a piece of music. Or he’s constantly almost at the drums even when he’s not playing. I tried [an] earpiece device that I had throughout the scenes and I would always have music playing in my head. There were some things you learn to rely on to get you there, but it is tough. It’s not you. You’re handed a life and you’re told, ‘Go fit into that somehow,’ and you don’t always know if you will or not.”
Note: The complete video interview is at the GoldDerby link above. I’ve added screen captures to the gallery.
Searchlight Pictures released the video of the ‘Fresh’ FYC Event with Sebastian and Daisy Edgar-Jones. I’ve also added photos of the event. Click below to watch and also check out screencaps and photos in the gallery.
The LA Times released the video of the ‘Envelope Drama Roundtable’ interview with Sebastian among others. Click below to watch and also check out screencaps in the gallery.
Hulu released new videos for ‘Pam & Tommy’. There’s also a video interview from ‘Backstage’. Click below to watch and also check out screencaps in the gallery.
Sebastian’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was on Friday. You can check out the clips, stills and screencaps below and in the gallery.
LA Times –Sebastian Stan (‘Pam & Tommy’) on Method acting
Sebastian Stan joins Kaitlyn Dever (“Dopesick”), Jin Ha (“Pachinko”), Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”), Adam Scott (“Severance”) and Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”) on the Envelope Drama Roundtable.
Full episode premieres Friday June 10, 2021 at 7PM PST on Spectrum News One.
Sebastian filmed ‘The Magic of Passion’, a while ago (and apparently they’re waiting on music to clear before releasing the film). Feel free to check out the trailer from the director below. I’ve added screencaps of the trailer to the gallery.
Deadline –Sebastian Stan On Becoming ‘Pam & Tommy’, Playing A Rocker And Wearing That Talking Prosthetic – The Actor’s Side.
Sebastian Stan certainly picks interesting and challenging projects these days. He joins me for this week’s edition of my Deadline video series The Actor’s Side where we discuss his decision to play Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee as he falls hard for Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and gets immersed in a marriage and sex-tape scandal that dominated the mid-1990s tabloid headlines.
As Stan tells me this isn’t the first time he has taken on the troubled life and times of a real person — he also talks about playing Jeff Gillooly who engineered the infamous Tonya Harding ice-skating scandal in the acclaimed film I, Tonya — but admits this one really brought out his insecurities. He said every week leading up to shooting gave him nightmares, but once they were fully into the transformation (and thanks especially to a game hair and makeup team) it became more comfortable.
Of course it is never that comfortable when you have to wear a talking prosthetic penis, get tattooed like there is no tomorrow, and be completely convincing as an iconic rocker who plays the drums. Stan pulls it all off though and describes every detail. We also get into his current film, also on Hulu, saying Fresh has its own set of challenges, but one he was eager to take on.
And you can’t talk to Sebastian Stan without getting the latest on the Winter Soldier himself aka Bucky Barnes. Stan has appeared in about nine different projects for Marvel where he plays that character, most recently the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and he fills us in on whether he has any plans for more.
To watch our conversation click on the video above, and join me every Wednesday during Emmy season for another edition of The Actor’s Side.
* The full Deadline Actor’s Side interview is now available to view in the link above. Screen Captures have also been added to the gallery.
