Here's How Lily James Achieved a Pamela Anderson Body for Hulu's 'Pam & Tommy'
The actor’s personal trainer shares her diet and fitness regime.
Lily James‘ resemblance to Pamela Anderson on Hulu’s Pam & Tommy is uncanny. However, that doesn’t mean it was easy. The actor’s physical transformation consisted of lots of time in the makeup chair as well as in the gym. James turned to personal trainer Matt Bevan who helped her achieve her fitness goals in four months.
“With Lily playing such an icon, there was always going to be a huge pressure to look as much like Pamela as possible, but what I always feel is equally important is getting my clients to a place where they can perform their absolute best — that meant embodying Anderson’s inner confidence and strength, as well as getting Lily as aesthetically close to accurately portraying her as possible,” Bevan told Vogue. “She did a lot of work and research behind the scenes.”
Their training sessions were done virtually amid lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proving you don’t need to leave your home to get fit. “We had to get creative and made use of light dumbbells, resistance bands, sliding discs and towels — yes, the ones you use to dry yourself!” Bevan explained. “Then, we adjusted variables, such as the tempo of each exercise, stability and range of motion.”
He continued, “After that, we moved into full body strength, circuit-based workouts, increasing her strength and aerobic conditioning.” Her workouts consisted of 12 to 15 reps of banded deadlifts or dumbbell, kettlebell goblet squats, press-ups and rows while using heavy weights.
Diet was also a crucial part of the journey. For starters, staying hydrated is a must. James carried around a reusable water bottle to encourage her to drink three to four liters of water daily.
Bevan added, “I worked out her calorific needs and then sent her a couple of weeks of sample menus with some recipes in, and Lily took ownership. We stuck to three meals a day and a couple of snacks. I don’t like anyone to be limiting what they love, so she was allowed to have a treat or two weekly.”
See Lily James transform into Pamela Anderson on Pam & Tommy, currently streaming on Hulu.
