Actor Will Ferrell has spoken out ahead of his new documentary, Will & Harper, which is released on Netflix on September 27, saying transphobia exists because: “I think we fear what we don’t know.”
Three years ago, Will Ferrell was filming a movie when he received a most surprising email: his dear friend of nearly 30 years was coming out to him as a trans woman.
That friend was Harper Steele, a writer he met on his first day at Saturday Night Live back in 1995. From that fateful first meeting, Will knew he had found a match made in comedy, and their friendship and creative partnership would only continue to grow over the next three decades.
In this intimate, honest, and heartfelt documentary, Will and Harper hit the open road together to process this new stage of their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country that she loves – this time, as herself. Over 16 days, the two drive from New York to LA, visiting stops that are meaningful to them, to their friendship, and to America.
“There is hatred out there,” Ferrell said. “It’s very real and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations. … But I don’t know why trans people are meant to be threatening to me as a cis male. I don’t know why Harper is threatening to me.”
“It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her,” he added. “She’s finally who she was always meant to be. Whether or not you can ultimately wrap your head around that, why would you care if somebody’s happy? Why is that threatening to you? If the trans community is a threat to you, I think it stems from not being confident or safe with yourself.”
Will & Harper is on Netflix from September 27.
