The director believes the story he's telling "supports their journey."
When the first photos from Hulu's upcoming "Pam & Tommy" series dropped, fans were blown away by the transformations of stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan into Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.
While the subjects of the show have yet to officially react to the images or the very notion of the series -- which is being called a "comedic" take on the real story behind their sex tape leak -- director Craig Gillespie hopes the two feel he's crafted a story true to what they were going through at the time.
TooFab caught up with Gillespie while promoting his latest release, "Cruella" for Disney, where he was asked how he thinks Anderson and Lee will feel about the show.
Sebastian Stan and Lily James Transform into Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson for First Look at Hulu Series
View Story"It's always difficult, you're dealing with real people and I try to take solace in the fact that I feel like we're trying to highlight a wrong that happened and gives a humanity to their side of the story, similar to what we did in 'I, Tonya,' show her from a different point of view," he explained.
"I, Tonya," which Gillespie directed and released in 2017 to acclaim, was a dark comedy around the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan told from rival Tonya Harding's POV.
"I think we have the same opportunity as we did in 'I, Tonya,' where people come in with this expectation or perception of what they know about the story and you feel it's very different," he added. "I hope that there would be some solace in the fact that it's gonna show a very different version that supports their journey."
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View StoryWhile Anderson and Lee may be reserving judgment for now, Gillespie is happy to see how the internet at large reacted to the first official photos of Lily and Sebastian in costume for the show. The images blew up online when they were released, with people already throwing premature Emmys at the hair and makeup departments for the transformations.
"I was actually literally shooting Pam and Tommy that day," Gillespie said the day the photos dropped. "I was sort of ducking out and people were just showing me the responses, which was kind of boggling. I didn't fathom it would be so much on people's radars."
"I'm thrilled with what Lily and Sebastian are doing and the way they look and the transformation that they've made and the work that they've put into getting to that place," he added. "I always start there and then be like, if it fails it's on my terms. It was amazing response."
"Pam & Tommy" has no premiere date yet. "Cruella" hits theaters and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access on May 28th.