‘Pam & Tommy’: How SFX Artists Made the Talking Penis Scene a Reality

Pam & Tommy, the highly-anticipated Hulu miniseries chronicling the relationship of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (and their infamous sex tape), premiered yesterday (February 2), and if there was one scene people were most intrigued with, it was the one where Lee has a chat with his penis about being in love with Anderson.

As previously reported, the scene was inspired by a passage from the Motley Crue drummer's 2004 memoir Tommyland and featured an animatronic penis voiced by Jason Mantzoukas.

So, how exactly did that scene become filmed reality? Enter special effects makeup artist Jason Collins.

Collins detailed the making of this scene in an interview with British GQ and said when he first read the script, "I had to re-read it two or three times because I was like, wait a minute. Am I reading this right? Is that his penis talking to him? When you read a scene like that, your mind goes a little crazy, you can go into really extreme ridiculousness. Are they really going to shoot this? We thought at first, maybe it should be sort of comical and cartoonish. And then, maybe realistic."

Collins then said, "It was made from silicone and involved lifecasting Sebastian [Stan, who played Tommy Lee] so that we could then sculpt the appropriate size and blend points. Once we were done sculpting, another mold was made and we cast it from a plasticized silicone. The silicone is medical grade and gives the appendage a life-like fleshy quality."

Then, things somehow get more awkward.

"We apply the piece by having the actor ‘saddle’ himself into the appliance like a sleeve," explained Collins. "We then glue it into place and paint it with sheer washes of color including vein work. All modesty is out the door in these scenarios and we become quick personal friends when you're in those positions."

This scene, in particular, can be found in the second episode of the eight-episode mini-series. The first three episodes are available for streaming on Hulu now.