Lily James admires Pamela Anderson's "authenticity"

She shared: "Sometimes you admire qualities in people that you feel you're lacking, or you want to be more like.

"And I've always felt there was this boldness to Pamela, this unashamed kind of authenticity."

Lily studied the former 'Baywatch' star ahead of shooting the new series.

The actress explained that she was determined to capture Pamela's "energy" and "impulsiveness" with her performance.

She told Variety: "She talks really fast, and I would watch her interviews over and over again and annotate them, learn them and parrot along with her. I wanted to get that energy and that impulsiveness and that spirit that she has when she's in front of the camera."

Lily almost turned her back on the role at one stage, because she found her pre-series bootcamp to be too intense.

She confessed: "I really wanted to pull out of this a week before."

Lily admitted to being overwhelmed by the role at one stage - but she's ultimately glad that she decided to stick with it.

She said: "It just felt too frightening. But I think that's a good place to work from because it keeps you growing and getting better, I hope."

Last year, a source claimed Lily was "having a blast" playing Pamela in 'Pam & Tommy'.

The actress relished the dramatic transformation she underwent for her part in the show.

A source said at the time: "Lily's having a blast getting into character and playing dress up with the fake chest piece.

"The boobs really help her get into character and she loves walking around in them."