Lily James Is Finally Commenting on Those Photos of Her Kissing Co-Star Dominic West

Lily James is impressing viewers who are watching her embody Pamela Anderson‘s vulnerability, sweetness and strength in Hulu’s limited series, Pam and Tommy. The invasion of privacy the couple endured after the alleged theft of their sex tape seems to resonate with the actress, who had her own tabloid journey in 2020. And now, she’s giving a measured response to the incident.

While filming the movie, Pursuit, James was photographed by the paparazzi, looking very close with married co-star Dominic West. Were they kissing or was it just the angle of the lens that suggested an inappropriate intimacy? After the incident, she alluded that what was shown to the public was not necessarily what happened in real life. “I think that’s our lives, that’s how we display ourselves on social media, that’s the characters we play versus who we really are, how we present ourselves versus the truth. It’s a complete minefield and very rarely what things appear to be,” she said to Grazia while promoting the Netflix film, Rebecca.

How accurate is the portrayal of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's stolen sex tape saga in @hulu's @pamandtommy? We took a deeper look. https://t.co/2h7DAZxsS8

— SheKnows (@SheKnows) February 9, 2022

In 2022, she has a more nuanced answer, perhaps coming from her time stepping into Anderson’s shoes each day on set. “Women in the public eye at some point experience some sort of difficult situation in that relationship between privacy and your life being in the tabloids,” she explained to Rolling Stone. “It was a lot. It’s a story as old as time.” So, while she doesn’t answer the question of whether there was an affair, she’s reminding everyone that there is always more to the story — and that women sometimes suffer more under the glare of the spotlight.

Perhaps that is why her depiction of Anderson feels so personal; James understands how exposed the Baywatch star probably felt during that unprecedented time. And it’s likely a dark and lonely place on the other other side of the paparazzi’s lenses.

Before you go, click here to see more co-star couples we’ll always wonder about.