“Pam & Tommy” follows the leak of an explosive celebrity sex tape stolen from the titular couple’s home. The show portrays the various characters who play a role in spreading the strip and those affected by it from multiple angles.
Episode 6, however, changes the pacing of the narrative and takes us back to Pamela’s early days. Through flashbacks, we get to see a pre-celebrity version of the character, and we get to see his first glimpse of fame. Considering that the show dramatizes real events, we decided to take a look at how accurately Pamela’s early life is portrayed. Here, we explore the potential real person behind the character of Roger Dennis and the football game that seemingly changed everything for Pamela. Let’s dive into it.
Is Labatt’s Roger Dennis based on a real person?
In one of the “Pam & Tommy” flashbacks, we are transported back to 1989 when Pamela attends a football game in Vancouver. During the match, the cameraman films her on the stadium’s big screen, which seems to be her first taste of being in the limelight. Shortly after, she is approached by a man named Roger Dennis, who claims to be the Vice President of Marketing at Labatt Breweries. He gives Pamela his card and tells her to call him if she is interested in modeling.
In real life, Pamela Anderson worked with Labatt’s Beer, who hired her as a spokesperson. However, there is no indication that she was approached directly by a Labatt marketing executive at a football game. There is also no mention of the real Anderson being in contact with someone named Roger Dennis from the brewing company. So, it looks like Roger Dennis is a fictional character brought into the show as a narrative device, and perhaps to make things more dramatic.
Was Pamela Anderson discovered at a football game?
Although Roger Dennis is probably a fictional character, what happened in real life is no less remarkable than what is portrayed on the show. Anderson, 22, actually attended a BC Lions football game circa 1989, where she was featured on the stadium screen while wearing a Labatt’s Beer t-shirt. The crowds loved her and, apparently by popular demand, she was named spokesperson for the brewery, becoming the “Blue Zone Girl”. Her boyfriend at the time, Dan Ilicic, also apparently capitalized on her fame and produced a stack of posters featuring Anderson in a Blue Zone cropped top.
After briefly working with the beer company and doing some commercials in Vancouver, the young model was spotted by Playboy magazine and invited to do a shoot. Of course, she went on to become the iconic publication’s most famous cover model and a global celebrity icon.
So, we can say that Pamela Anderson was discovered at the BC Lions game in Vancouver all those years ago. A few moments on the stadium screen were apparently all she needed for the crowds to fall in love and her potential as a role model to become apparent. Of course, credit also goes to the cameraman who picked Anderson from the crowd and flashed his image at the football game in the first place.
Read more: Where was the Pam & Tommy sex tape filmed in real life?
