Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/courtesy Everett; Erica Parise/Hulu; Universal Studios /Courtesy Everett
When it comes to acting,Lily Jameshas range.
James first stepped into the spotlight in 2010 and got her big break in 2012’sDownton Abbey.Since then, she’s done everything from musicals to period pieces to zombie thrillers and went above and beyond forPam & Tommy, where she playedPamela Anderson(and looked uncannily like her) oppositeSebastian StanasTommy Lee.
Her role in the Hulu series was unlike anything we’ve ever seen from her.
“I’ve never worked so hard,“James told Net-a-Porter’sPorterabout preparing for thePam & Tommyrole. “I read the books [Anderson] has written, I read her poetry, I can parrot along to all her interviews.”
“Slowly, our incredible team found a balance where I resembled Pamela but also felt like I could act through it,” she said about the hair and makeup process. “I’ve never done anything where I look very different from myself before. And I’d really like to continue in this vein, because I felt there was something very freeing and liberating in it. There was a bravery that came from that. A courage that came from… disappearing.”
Read ahead for more of James' most notable films and shows and where to watch them online.
Downton Abbey
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James played Lady Rose Aldridge, a Crawley cousin, on the British historical drama series,Downton Abbey, from season 3 to season 5, after which she exited the show to focus on her movie career. She eventually returned for the series finale in 2015 butdidn’t return for the 2019 movie, nor its 2022 sequel.
Where to watchDownton Abbey:Peacock
Cinderella
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/courtesy Everett
Though James gained recognition forDownton Abbey, her breakout film role came in 2015 when she starred as the titular Disney princess in the live-action adaptation ofCinderella.
Where to watchCinderella:Amazon
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
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In 2016, James starred in the film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 novel,Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which parodiesJane Austen’sPride and Prejudice. James played Elizabeth Bennet opposite Sam Riley as Colonel Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Where to watchPride and Prejudice and Zombies:Amazon
Wilson Webb/ TriStar /Everett
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Universal Studios /Courtesy Everett
In 2018’sMamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which served as both a prequel and sequel to 2008’sMamma Mia!,James played the younger versionofMeryl Streep’s character, Donna. The film also showedJames' musical talentsasshe sang and danced in the movie.
Where to watchMamma Mia! Here We Go Again:Amazon
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Netflix/ Everett
Where to watchThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society:Netflix
Pam & Tommy
Lily James as Pamela Anderson.Erica Parise/Hulu
In December 2020, it was announced thatJames would play Pamela Andersonopposite Sebastian Stan’s Tommy Lee on Hulu’sPam & Tommy. The series, which premiered in February 2022, follows Anderson and Lee’s whirlwind marriage in the ’90s as well as the controversy surrounding their leaked sex tape.
Where to watchPam & Tommy:Hulu
source: people.com
