So much has been said about Pam & Tommy, a series that tells the story behind the infamous sex tape scandal from the ’90s – Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee’s private VHS tape was stolen from their home by a carpenter seeking revenge from Lee for unpaid dues. The series is a nuanced look at the wild yet true events and a comment on obsessive celebrity culture. But the most head-turning aspect of the show was the transformations of stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan. While James looks unrecognisable in prosthetics and make-up, Stan is a chameleon as the loud, tattooed rockstar. And if you ask the actor, the role came with its own set of challenges.

Tommy Lee is a stark departure for Sebastian Stan from his best-known role in the MCU as Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier. Between I, Tonya and his most recent film FRESH which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, his filmography is delightfully diverse outside superhero movies. Lucky us! In an interview, the actor opened up about his latest role.

The show sees Stan take on crazy scenes, including one with a talking penis, but that’s a discussion for another day. When asked about exploring a fascinating range of characters from FRESH to Pam & Tommy, he revealed that not a lot of it is left to improvisation.

“Oh that’s great! I’m so glad you got to watch it [FRESH]. Well, playing a fictional character versus a real-life person has got its own challenges. With this particular role, a lot of the work is done for you. There’s a lot of information out there on YouTube, there were books that were written about him – one that he wrote himself and another one that was very famously written about him. So I had a lot of draw from and that’s your job really as an actor, you’re looking for anything you can find and constructing their life in the best way possible,” he said.

He added, “None of that would be possible if the scripts aren’t great or they don’t do that work for you or don’t challenge you in certain ways. And these certainly did. A lot of what you see as the final product has always been on the page and they were just really well-written.”

Sebastian Stan’s transformation goes a little beyond tattoos and playing the drums. And it’s a testament to his versatility.

Pam & Tommy episodes 1-3 are currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India. Check out our review here: Lily James, Sebastian Stan-led Series Is An Empathetic Take On The Sex Tape Scandal

SEE ALSO: Sundance ‘FRESH’ Review: Sebastian Stan Is Unhinged In This Jaw-Dropping Horror Rom-Com

Cover artwork: Bhavya Poonia/Mashable India