After debuting to a heat reception at this yr’s Sundance Movie Competition and making the rounds at a number of fall movie festivals together with TIFF, Will Ferrell and collaborator Harper Steele’s road-trip documentary, “Will & Harper,” is lastly out there to stream on Netflix. The movie, which follows Ferrell and his good friend touring throughout America whereas coming to perceive Steele’s bodily and non secular transition into womanhood alongside the best way, is being launched on the peak of an election season that sees two candidates who’re diametrically opposed on points relating to LGBTQ rights. Regardless of this timing, in a latest interview with The Impartial, Ferrell defined how the efforts of this venture transcend politics.
“There is hatred out there,” he stated. “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. 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.”
The director behind “Will & Harper,” Josh Greenbaum (“Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Strays”), shares Ferrell’s sentiments, and regardless of attempting to make a “very pure, simple story of two friends,” additionally went in understanding that the movie can be “received as a political film.” As a matter of reality, in some ways, Greenbaum was relying on it.
“It’d be disingenuous not to point out that we were aware of the reach that Will Ferrell has,” Greenbaum stated. “The fanbase he has crosses all spectrums, but it also has a very traditionally straight, cis-male, bro-y [element]. On some level, for sure, we want to reach that audience. But it was very important to me, and to Harper, that we were also representing the queer community.”
For Steele, her plan was maybe essentially the most egocentric, but in addition essentially the most private component of the venture and essentially the most liberating. She stated to The Impartial, “We just wanted to address what it’s like for two people who are friends– what all of this means to us, and to our friendship moving forward. I needed him to see the joy I was experiencing. And I also wanted to demonstrate to my friend here that I was still funny. And probably funnier than him.”
“Will & Harper” is accessible to stream on Netflix.
