Renée Zellweger Has Shocking Transformation Into Murderer Pam Hupp With Prosthetics and ‘Padded Suit’

NBC has unveiled the first photos and trailer from upcoming true crime drama “The Thing About Pam,” and with it comes an official first look at Renée Zellweger’s shocking transformation into murderer Pam Hupp. The role is Zellweger’s first since winning the Oscar for “Judy” and marks her first regular series role on network television. She previously starred in the Netflix limited series “What/If” in 2019.

“The Thing About Pam” is based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, which resulted in her husband Russ’ conviction despite his insistence that he didn’t kill her. His conviction was later overturned. The brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Missouri mother Pam Hupp. The story was featured in several episodes of “Dateline” and was the focus of the inaugural “Dateline NBC” true crime podcast.

“It was pretty much head to toe. It was prosthetics, it was a [padded] suit, it was the choice of clothing, it was the briskness in her step-step-step, her gait,” Zellweger told Vanity Fair about her transformation. “All of those things were really important because all those bits and pieces are what construct the person that we project our own conclusions and presumptions onto.”

Added showrunner Jenny Klein, “Seeing Renée as Pam for the first time was totally surreal. I had studied so many hours of Pam, the real person, on police surveillance videos, and then here she was walking onstage in front of me. And it wasn’t just the physical transformation, it was the way Pam carries herself, her dropped foot, her mannerisms, her sniffs, and even the way she often talks with her hands. It was completely mind-blowing because I didn’t see Renée. I saw Pam. And that was also a little bit scary.”

Starring opposite Zellweger in “The Thing About Pa” is Katy Mixon as murder victim Betsy Faria, Josh Duhamel as defense attorney Joel Schwartz and Judy Greer as prosecutor Leah Askey.

“The Thing About Pam” premieres March 8 on NBC. Watch the trailer below.