10 Actors Who Totally Transformed Themselves For TV Shows

Back when Lily James was first cast as Pamela Anderson in the TV series Pam & Tommy, many expressed confusion and skepticism that James, a talented actress no question, could convincingly pass as the voluptuous Baywatch star, given the pair's distinctly different physical appearances.

But most of that doubt melted away when the first pictures of James in character were revealed, and now that the show is out in the wild, it's fair to say that James has thoroughly proven her doubters wrong.

Beyond James' impressive, empathetic performance, however, a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the mind-bogglingly comprehensive makeup work.

To "become" Pam, James underwent a daily makeup session running up to five hours, whereby she was fitted with a prosthetic forehead and chest to match Anderson's hairline and larger bust, as well as false dentures, blue contact lenses, and a blonde wig.

The end result is nothing short of jaw-dropping, but the skill of James' performance also ensures this isn't merely a gimmicky attempt at showing off some incredible makeup work.