Will Ferrell stars in the upcoming documentary Will & Harper alongside longtime friend and former Saturday Night Live head writer Harper Steele, who came out as a trans woman in 2022. The road trip film has Ferrell exploring “all new territory” for him in the doc about his 30-year friendship with Steele and embracing her newfound identity. In season 23 of SNL, Ferrell wore drag as part of a sketch called “Janet Reno’s Fantasies,” something the actor now expressed regret over in light of the documentary Will & Harper.
During an interview with The New York Times, Will Ferrell discussed the SNL sketch in which he wore a drag costume, saying, “That’s something I wouldn’t choose to do now.” Harper Steele, sitting next to Ferrell, stated how the sketch had probably aged poorly, but still acknowledged that Ferrell’s regret “bums” her out.
“This kind of bums me out. I understand the laugh is a drag laugh. It’s, ‘Hey, look at this guy in a dress, and that’s funny.’ It’s absolutely not funny. It’s absolutely a way that we should be able to live in the world. However, with performers and actors, I do like a sense of play.”
Steele expanded upon the initial understanding of Ferrell’s poorly-aged SNL sketch, contemplating how far it is appropriate to go when re-evaluating problematic performances.
“This is an interesting question to me. Do queer people like ‘The Birdcage,’ or do they not? Robin Williams, at least as far as we know, was not a gay man, and yet he spent about half of his comedy career doing a swishy gay guy on camera. Do people think that’s funny, or is it just hurtful? I’ve heard from gay men that it was funny, and I’ve heard from gay men that it was hurtful. I am purple-haired woke, but I wonder if sometimes we take away the joy of playing when we take away some of the range that performers, especially comedy performers, can do.”
Will Ferrell & Harper Steele Documentary Arriving on Netflix
Directed by Josh Greenbaum, Will & Harper sees Will Ferrell go across the country on a two-person with longtime friend and SNL co-worker Harper Steele. As the trailer reveals, Ferrell finds out Steele transitioned via email 30 years into their friendship, a shocking development for the actor. The documentary covers a new chapter in their relationship, which grew through the on-screen road trip and enlightened both Ferrell and Steele in the process. It’s going to be an emotional journey for all parties involved, especially for most viewers and longtime fans of the two artists. The official synopsis reads:
“When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.”
Will & Harper not only marks a point of reflection in the titular friendship, but also the country the documentary takes place in. Netflix’s film is the latest mainstream project to spread a positive message regarding the LGBTQ+ community and self-acceptance, while a reality drag TV show called HBO’s We’re Here also similarly traveled across the country in a road-trip fashion. Small towns across the nation populate the screen in Will & Harper, a hopeful indication that society is not impossibly far off from acceptance.
Will & Harper
is set to be released on Netflix, on September 27.
