DIVA sat down with the stars of Netflix’s new documentary tracking a road trip of exploration, friendship, and trans allyship
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY NETFLIX
Most audiences are used to seeing Will Ferrell through tears of laughter. The American actor and comedian has become a comedy legend through his starring roles in films like Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Christmas favourite Elf. Harper Steele is not used to being seen at all. The comedy writer found her footing writing for SNL back in 1995, coincidentally the same week that Will Ferrell joined the show. Connected by comedy, the pair became instant friends.
And it is that friendship which is at the heart of their new film Will & Harper. This new Netflix documentary directed by Josh Greenbaum tracks one unique road trip following Harper coming out as trans. As they traverse the great American roads, the pair use the experience as an opportunity for Will to ask questions about her transition, her life, and (more importantly) when they can get Dunkin’ Doughnuts.
Within seconds of seeing the pair sitting next to each other, it is blatantly obvious that they share a decades-long love and respect for one another. It feels rather surreal to see Buddy The Elf – a firm childhood classic in my house – sitting in front of me, positioning my phone on a pear in the fruit bowl in front of us so that it can record our chat. When I tell Harper that I’m from DIVA, she smiles and tells me that she’s a diva too. Her rainbow-coloured glasses frames tell me that she’s not joking.
Their new documentary is truly groundbreaking in many ways. It’s incredibly rare to see a film about real trans lives, let alone about a trans person who has come out later in life. I want to know whether the pair had any worries before going into the project.
“I don’t like being on camera. Period,” Harper jokes. “And if you watch the movie, I’m on camera a lot.”
She’s not lying. The film tracks the pair over a number of days as they travel hundreds of miles, with the main focus of the documentary simply being the pair talking. Powerfully, the documentary also watches Harper reclaim the things she once loved doing, such as going to dive bars and drinking crappy beer.
“Making the film actually improved that confidence quite a bit,” Harper reflects. “Will brings you into these spaces and that brings a lot of attention which is not something every trans person wants in the beginning. But it was brought to me and I learnt to navigate it.”
For Will, the journey to making this film was joyous, but also incredibly emotional. “I like to think of myself as an open, emotionally-available person,” he tells me. “I made a promise to myself that wherever this journey went, if it got emotional or scary I wouldn’t block any of that out. We really went to some places on an emotional level. It’s weird to say that it was exciting to go there. I think I was proud of myself for being that open and feeling those feelings.”
At a time when trans rights are being threatened globally, it is incredibly powerful to have a film that is centred on trans joy. While it does delve into some deeply harrowing and saddening moments when looking back at Harper’s life before transitioning, the overall message is one of happiness. For Harper, this is vital. “One thing I would love for people to take away is that there is a great deal of joy in being trans,” she says. “We have to remember that this is a perfectly wonderful way to be and, in fact, it can be quite magical. The future is limitless. You can be a mediocre comedy writer and become friends with Will Ferrell!”
Will bursts into laughter, something which happens a fair amount during our conversation. “Our first language is comedy and through that there’s love and acceptance also,” he explains.
And while the subject matter of the film may seem loaded with severity, Will is quick to point out that there’s still lightness too. “We definitely want people to take away from the fact that it’s truly a funny movie,” he expresses. “We’re not on a soapbox.”
He continues: “What’s wonderful to see is that when we’ve been to a few festivals and we’re doing these screenings, already people of all ages are coming up to Harper just going ‘Thank you for–’”
Before Will can finish his sentence, Harper chimes in: “For being a better comedian and actor than Will!”
Again the pair fall into laughter. It is hard not to be drawn into the magical friendship between them. The sort of friendship that is not only unconditional but celebratory. In fact, this whole film feels a bit like a homage to their trust and support of one another.
I ask Harper what a film like this – such an open declaration of trans allyship and storytelling – would have meant to her younger self. “I think about that all the time,” she muses. “I think, what if my aunt was trans when I was six? What if I had it in my world around me when I was a young person growing up in a traditional state like Iowa? My whole world would have been different because the example would have been there. It would have been earth-changing if I could have had that.”
While she doesn’t like to place herself as a representative of the trans community, Harper hopes the film reaches the queer community. “I hope that they see themselves a little bit in it. I think we sometimes forget about the superpower it is to be queer and the joy of it. And I hope that’s what people take away from the film.”
Before we finish, I can’t resist asking who was the better driver. The answer seems to me unanimous: it’s Will. “Harper drives with her leg. It’s impressive and it’s concerning.”
You can watch Will & Harper on Netflix on 27 September.
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