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American actor, comedian, writer, and producer Will Ferrell recently attended the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of his upcoming documentary, Will & Harper.
According to Variety, the documentary explores the relationship between Will Ferrell and his longtime best friend Harper Steele, as they embark on a cross-country road trip, while the latter decides to come out as a trans woman. A former writer of Saturday Night Live, Harper Steele came out as a transgender in 2022.
In this regard, Will Ferrell told Variety Studio presented by Audible during the film festival that until Harper Steele’s transition, he had “zero knowledge” about the trans community.
All you need to know about Will Ferrell’s best friend, Harper Steele
Will Ferrell has known Harper Steele for the last three decades, first crossing paths during the time he was a comedian on Saturday Night Live and she was a writer on the show between 1995 and 2008. Harper Steele uses her alternative name Andrew Steele while writing.
According to Harper Steele’s IMDb page, she is not only a writer but also a producer and additional crew. Apart from her gigs on SNL, where she wrote for 249 episodes from the 21st to 41st seasons, she has also worked on Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020.
Steele has also written multiple episodes of TV series, namely The Spoils of Babylon (2014), Funny or Die Presents…. (2010-2011), The Jon Stewart Show (1993-1995), and The Spoils Before Dying (2015) among others.
The TV specials penned by Harper Steele include The 2019 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish (2019), The Royal Wedding Live with Cord & Tish! (2018), The Cicada Hunk (2015), and many more.
Besides several nominations, her accolades include winning a Primetime Emmy in 2002 for SNL in the category “Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program.” Steele has also won the Writers Guild of America Awards four times in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2017.
Exploring what Will Ferrell said about Harper Steele’s transition and the trans community
During his candid chat with Variety Studio at the Sundance Film Festival, Will Ferrell said that it was three summers back when his best friend of 30 years emailed him and a few of their inner circle about how she was “going to transition.” The email was titled, “Here’s a Weird One,” where Steele explained her decision to transition.
Will Ferrell said how they were both “excited” and “surprised” to hear the news, but tried to be supportive and shower affection, while also asking Steele how they could help her during the transitioning period:
“I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life. So, this was all new territory for me, which is why I think this film is so exciting for us to kind of put out there in the world,” Will Ferrell added.
He further continued by saying that his new documentary Will & Harper will help the “cis community to be able to ask questions,” while also trying to listen to the members of the trans community and “be there as a friend to discuss this journey.”
“It tells the story of a cis friend of a trans person who has to transition himself,” Harper Steele pitched in.
The documentary revolves around friendship, transitioning, and America. It features Will and Harper and is directed by Josh Greenbaum, who is also one of the producers alongside Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Rafael Marmor, and Christopher Leggett.
