Jason Mantzoukas is voicing Tommy Lee's penis in Hulu's Pam & Tommy
The series, which stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan, drops on February 2
When Hulu’s series Pam & Tommy about Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee was announced, people were fixated on whether Lily James and Sebastian Stan could accurately embody one of rock’s most iconic former couples. But nobody bothered to ask who’d play Tommy Lee’s penis.
There are so many wild details about Lee’s life—including how he basically had a Starbucks in his home—that it’s easy to forget that the Mötley Crue drummer had his member co-narrate his 2005 memoir, Tommyland. The Pam & Tommy showrunners decided to add that into the series, and they found the perfect voice for Lee’s dick: Jason Mantzoukas.
If you had to think about who you’d want to voice your dick, Mantzoukas’ name perhaps wouldn’t be the first to come to mind, but in this case, it makes sense. Hiring an actor who’s known for playing chaotic, sex-obsessed characters like Rafi from The League feels apt, no?
Another great choice would’ve been Seth Rogen (who also briefly played Rafi’s sidekick Dirty Randy on the FXX show), but he’s already playing a different character in Pam & Tommy.
In an interview by Variety, co-showrunner Robert Siegel explains it took some convincing for Hulu to allow a talking schlong, though. “I think it might be a first [for television]. There was gentle pushback, because you’ve got to push back a little when a talking penis is presented to you. But Hulu was extremely supportive,” he says.
And it seems like it was just as ridiculous to film as it sounds. Craig Gillespie, who directed the series, tells Variety that filming those scenes was “just awkward.” He explains, “You’ve got four puppeteers working with an animatronic penis. And then, how much is too much, and do you start to lose his emotional torment of what’s going on? Hopefully it works.”
Stan appears to have embraced the silliness of it all, saying, “By the end of it, I treated it like it was an intimate buddy conversation that one might have when they’re falling in love.”
If you’re curious about whether they pull off the whole talking penis thing or not (or if you just want to see how the show unfolds), you can watch Pam & Tommy on Hulu on February 2.