The first images from Pamela Anderson’s documentary Pamela, a love story, have been released by Netflix. Anderson’s rise to fame, her rocky romances and the infamous sex tape scandal with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee are explored in this documentary directed by Ryan White.
The documentary’s official synopsis reads: “An intimate and humanising portrait of one of the world’s most famous blonde bombshells. Pamela, a love story, follows the trajectory of Pamela Anderson’s life and career from small-town girl to international sex symbol, actress, activist and doting mother.”
The film was announced earlier this year in March, following criticism of the series Pam and Tommy. The show first aired on Wednesday, February 2nd and starred Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the titular couple. It followed the leaking of their now-iconic sex tape, an incident that occurred in 1995. The show, created by Robert Siegal, was met with controversy upon the reveal it went ahead without Anderson’s knowledge or consent. However, James claims she reached out to the star but got no response.
“I was really hopeful that she would be involved. I wish it had been different. My sole intention was to take care of the story and to play Pamela authentically. I was very hopeful that we would be in touch right up until we started filming,” the actor said.
“When you recreate any character, you’re taking on another person’s life without necessarily having all the information, so I really have to put huge trust in the director. But I want to provoke a conversation, and I want to be part of these attempts at change. I realise a lot of it’s incredibly sensitive and difficult. And so, as an actor, to a certain extent, what you do is make yourself very open to talk to all of that.”
Anderson announced the documentary on Instagram: “My life. A thousand imperfections. A million misperceptions. Wicked, wild and lost. Nothing to live up to. I can only surprise you. Not a victim but a survivor. And alive to tell the real story.”
Pamela, A Love Story is released on Netflix on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023.