Pam and Tommy director on why he made series without Pamela Anderson

Based on an exhaustive account published by Rolling Stone, the series explores how disgruntled electrician Rand Gauthier acquired the explicit material and began selling it online during the early days of the world wide web.

Neither Anderson nor Lee were directly involved in the production, with Lily James revealing to press that her attempts to get in contact with the former Baywatch star were unsuccessful.

The show has also been subject to criticism from Anderson's longtime friend Courtney Love, who described it as "f***ing outrageous" in a since-deleted Facebook post.

Series director Gillespie, whose previous work include I, Tonya and Cruella, explained to RadioTimes.com why he decided to stay onboard despite Anderson's lack of approval to retell this traumatic story.

"I absolutely respect any personal decision that she makes on that, and understand where she's coming from," he began. "The thing that gave me comfort was I felt like we really had an opportunity to change the narrative of this story, and to show it from a perspective that people can hopefully learn and grow from.

"And I felt that we portrayed them in a very empathetic way. I thought the writers did a really nice job with that. So I felt that there was that opportunity, which was the hope."

Meanwhile, co-star Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black), who plays Gauthier's ex-wife Erica Boyer, added that she hopes Anderson will come around to the series given the sympathetic lens through which it views her.

"I really hope that she can feel the love that this show has for her because it's so deep, and I hope that there's a rethinking of the narrative that popular culture created around her and this tape," she told RadioTimes.com.

"And I mean, in an ideal world, it might even be sort of healing… I think it's really an ode to her bravery, her courage even, that this could happen and she kept going. I mean, I can't really imagine that."

Schilling added: "She kept moving forward even as she had no real way to express herself. She was alone with what happened and everyone was making all these judgments, but she kept going. And I mean, it's heroic to see that."

Pam and Tommy also stars Marvel's Sebastian Stan as Mötley Crüe drummer Lee, while Seth Rogen (The Lion King) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) in the Pam and Tommy cast portray Gauthier and his business associate Milton Ingley.

Read more:

• Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee scandal explained
• Pam and Tommy soundtrack: Every song in celebrity scandal drama

Pam and Tommy premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday 2nd February. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.