Will Ferrell and Harper Steele’s visit to the Lone Star State wasn’t greeted with Southern hospitality.
While discussing the Netflix documentary “Will & Harper,” the longtime friends spoke about the “violent” transphobic microaggressions at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, which was not a finalist. ” he said of the moment.
“We had a little toast and I said something about passing the trans bill,” Steele told the New York Times. “And the room kind of flipped, there was a little bit of booing, and a woman yelled, ‘We still love you.’ I hate that word. I completely misunderstood this woman.” But this is the feeling I had in the room: “stillness” is conditional. You still love me when I finally give up on being trans and give my life to Christ. They still love me even though I’m a sinner or something. That’s how I felt. ”
Steele explained: I think I suddenly felt sick because I felt like my transgender identity was on display. ”
Last year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 14, which bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The Texas Supreme Court upheld the decision in June. Other bills passed in the state aim to ban drag shows in public places and force transgender student-athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their biological sex.
Ferrell said he feels “regret” and “guilt” for putting Steele in that situation, adding, “The saddest thing for me…is that I feel like I let you down in that moment.” “I will.”
“We had no idea how intense it was going to be and felt responsible for not properly vetting the situation we were in,” he added. “It felt like it was going to be a serene place, like having a big steak in time, and then I walked in and there were 1,000 people sitting in this room and I thought, ‘Oh. “Why are we here?” ”
Directed by Josh Greenbaum, Will & Harper follows Ferrell as he learns that his best friend of 30 years, former Saturday Night Live writer Steele, has come out as a transgender woman. This is a work of art. The two decide to embark on a cross-border road trip to process this new phase of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.
After meeting on SNL and co-writing Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga (2020), Steele announced his move to Beloved with Ferrell in 2022.
Following its Sundance premiere in January, Netflix acquired Will & Harper in an eight-figure deal.