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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Will Ferrell has been applauded by fans for his new documentary with Harper Steele, Will & Harper.
The comedian, 57, was one of a small group of Steele’s family and friend’s who received an email from the former Saturday Night Live writer announcing they were a trans woman in 2021.
The subsequent Netflix documentary, directed by Josh Greenbaum, follows the pair as they embark on a 16-day road trip across the US together to reflect on what this “new version” of Steele means for their decades-long friendship.
Ferrell and Steele met at Saturday Night Live, where Steele was head writer for four years and the Talladega Nights star worked as a main cast member from 1995 until 2002.
“We’d go to Lakers games, go on road trips together, surprise each other at random little bars in costume,” Ferrell told Netflix of their friendship.
In the Will & Harper trailer, released this Friday (6 September), Ferrell says: “What if we went on a road trip together, giving her a chance to go into a cowboy bar or whatever places she misses, and I can be by her side and lend support as a friend?
“At the same time, it would give us a chance to reconnect, and figure out what this transition means to our relationship.”
Fans were quick to praise Ferrell for the forthcoming film and his support of Steele. “This is exactly what white rich men with privilege and a huge cis male following should be doing. I will love Will Ferrell forever,” one person wrote on X/Twitter.
“Will Ferrell deciding to educate himself and others as well as supporting and loving Harper unconditionally when she came out to him really puts some other comedians to shame,” added another fan.
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New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Meanwhile, numerous other Twitter/X users declared they “burst into tears” and began “sobbing” after viewing the touching Will & Harper trailer. “This film could save trans lives. Will Ferrell is a saint,” another person added.
Will & Harper has received rave reviews since premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and currently has a flawless 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling the documentary “brave and characteristically unusual”.
Variety’s Peter Debruge said of the film: "It can sound like a cliché to say that any given movie is what the world needs now, but Will & Harper earns that distinction. Struggling to recognise her own beauty in a society that often seems determined to deny her identity altogether, Steele brings the trans experience down to earth."
Speaking about her admirable decision to share her transition story with viewers, Steele said: "Ultimately, the main reason that got me to do it was, ‘Oh, maybe this could be useful for others’.
"I like to think that about any kind of work that I’m putting out there. Anything that I’m making or a part of, it’s like, ‘I hope this is somehow useful to people, that it makes them laugh or they get something out of it.’”
Will & Harper will be released in select UK cinemas on 13 September 13, before being released on Netflix on Friday, 27 September.
