Lily James says playing Pamela Anderson was 'the biggest challenge'

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Lily James says it was "the biggest challenge" to play Pamela Anderson in the new series Pam & Tommy.

The 32-year-old actress discussed the role while appearing with her co-star Sebastian Stan on Tuesday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

James and Stan play Anderson and Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy, which premiered Wednesday on Hulu. The series explores Anderson and Lee's relationship and revisits the pair's sex tape scandal.

As a British actress, James said it was difficult to take on the role of Anderson, an American model and actress well known in the United States for her work with Playboy and for starring on Baywatch.

"It was the biggest challenge," James said. "When they asked me to do it, or when we spoke about doing it, I was like, are you insane? Have you seen me? This is crazy."

"I mean, I just studied her and watched -- I love her," she added.

Stan said Pam & Tommy shines a light on lesser-known details about Anderson and Lee's sex tape scandal, including the fact that the tape was stolen and distributed without the pair's permission.

"There's a lot about the story that people don't know, and that is one of the things -- that they had nothing to do with it. It is an American crime story, after all," the actor said.

"When you're in the privacy of your home, you don't always think about that," he added. "They were at home, they were in love -- you know, they got married in four days in Cancun, passionately. They were acting actually like a married couple."

Pam & Tommy is written by Robert D. Siegel and directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya). The series also stars Seth Rogan and Nick Offerman as Rand Gauthier and Uncle Miltie, the pair who obtained and distributed the tape.