With all of the conversation around Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, one particular moment has viewers either laughing, scratching their heads, or clutching their pearls. The scene in question, which was inspired by Tommy Lee‘s 2004 memoir Tommyland, features Sebastian Stan as Lee having a healthy debate with his sentient penis. (But truly, if you are clutching your pearls over that, wait until you find out what the rest of the limited series is about.)
Though the talking appendage may look shockingly real on screen, the scene was achieved via a puppet-like animatronic penis. And the story behind how the sausage got made, if you will, is worth telling.
“That’s not actually Sebastian Stan’s dick,” showrunner Rob Siegel recently told Entertainment Weekly. “If we were showing full-frontal male nudity, that would be a different issue, but it’s almost so silly that it makes it maybe less [of an issue]. I can’t think of a more fun and cuddly way to get away with extended full-frontal male nudity. It’s a puppet, it’s like Yoda.”
According to a recent GQ UK interview with special effects makeup artist Jason Collins, the talking penis was made from an actual cast of Sebastian Stan’s junk.
“It was made from silicone and involved lifecasting Sebastian so that we could then sculpt the appropriate size and blend points,” Collins told the magazine. “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.”
To get a seamless look that makes it appear like Stan is standing nude and not with a puppet hanging from his member, the SFX team used a lot of glue (ouch) and paint to secure and blend the appendage. Just imagine yourself in this position:
“We apply the piece by having the actor ‘saddle’ himself into the appliance like a sleeve. We then glue it into place and paint it with sheer washes of color including vein work,” Collins told GQ UK. “All modesty is out the door in these scenarios and we become quick personal friends when you’re in those positions.”
Stan deserves whatever sort of awards they’re dishing out for that one. And, by the sounds of it, so does the puppeteer who has quite the job controlling Tommy’s sentient penis.
“There were wires running between his legs from behind, and a guy crouched on the floor with joysticks, mechanically controlling what’s going on,” showrunner D.V. DeVincentis told Entertainment Weekly. “That animatronic guy had to look in a mirror and sort of really act with Sebastian physically, like all the gestures and the nods and looks up, and we had to actually direct that. I’ve never done anything quite like that.”
Now, just imagine the job listing for that gig…
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