Take a road trip with Will Ferrell and Harper Steele
The two legendary SNL alums hit the road and navigate a new era of their friendship in the new Netflix documentary Will & Harper.
Will Ferrell is the comedian who needs nearly no introduction, his tenure at Saturday Night Live provided more hits than most actors can ask for in a lifetime. His longtime friend and writing partner, Harper Steele, may be less known by the masses, but she should be. She served as a writer at SNL from 1995 through 2008, spending her last four years as head writer alongside comedy icons Tiny Fey, Seth Meyers and Paula Pell. She was nominated for four Emmys, winning her first in 2002.
Steele came out as a transwoman in 2021. The documentary follows Steele and Ferrell along a cross-country road trip (with a little help from other titans of the comedy world) as the pair navigate the new boundaries of their friendship, as well as Steele’s place in the world as a late-in-life trans woman. Pre-transition, Steele enjoyed cross-country road trips, going to small southern towns and meeting new people in bars. She was uncomfortable partaking in these activities after coming out, so her friend of 27 years, Will Ferrell, joined her on her journey, helping her ease into the compromise of her old life and her new one.
The film is incredibly candid. Steele doesn’t hold back in her stories as a transwoman. She is open about her fears of going to male-centric sports events, her thoughts on getting bottom surgery and choosing her name (Angie was her original choice, but it was far too close to her deadname for comfort. She inevitably chooses Harper after the author Harper Lee, one of her mother’s classmates.) Steele openly talks about her suicidal thoughts pre-transition. A dinner in a Texas steakhouse leads to Ferrell discovering the immense backlash someone can get for just being… themselves. Ferrell even being spotted with Steele leads to transphobic, offensive tweets and comments, attacking their characters and careers and conspiring a hidden agenda.
Colin Jost, Paula Pell, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Tim Meadows, Lorne Micheals, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig and Molly Shannon all appear along the journey, showing their support for the friend of over two decades.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll laugh again, it's the heartwarming documentary that the world really needs right now. ★★★★★
Will & Harper (2024) is available to stream on Netflix now.
P.S. Kristen Wiig wrote a theme song for the film; it’s truly amazing.