Will Ferrell and Harper Steele Share Their Hopes and Fears for the Documentary ‘Will & Harper’
And you’re going public right before the election.
Ferrell: This is also something we really want.
Steele: I hope my guy Trump wins. [Group laughs] I say that could actually help the Democrats. Transgender writer Harper Steele loves Donald Trump.
What did you learn about this country while making this film?
Ferrell: There are groups of people who are deeply hateful—which, again, I’ll always say, are fueled by misinformation and don’t really stop and think about it and question it. But I think the vast majority of people just want you to live your life. Even if they have a super strong opinion, they’re like, “Oh, that’s your business.” It’s all propaganda and it’s all designed to get clicks.
Steele: We should not ignore the fact that there are many violent crimes targeting transgender people.
Ferrell: Yeah, let’s not paint a rosy picture here. It’s definitely harder for people with less advantages than me to get around in the country. And there are still dangers out there. I never want to not say that.
This is a documentary about a transgender woman driving cross-country, but it’s also about Will Ferrell, a celebrity, driving cross-country. How did you approach that balance?
Greenbaum: As Harper will tell you, this is not the typical transgender experience. I know Harper wanted to go to a lot of places along the way without Will. Certainly, I tried my best to keep this crew as small as possible. We never let anyone know who was coming, because otherwise you invite a crowd and that’s not what we’re looking for. But you have to acknowledge in any documentary that the camera will change and alter any situation.
Harper, as someone who is about to become a major public figure, do you have any hopes or plans for how you will use that platform — whether creatively or politically?
Steele: I would love to take on a more activist role. I am politically active, but I am not going to be involved in any campaigns any time soon. I want to be more involved in the queer community in any way I can. I was against it and I was afraid of it and now I am not afraid of it. It is just a natural progression for me. It will happen and it will continue, and then I will get more involved in things that I feel strongly about – which is a lot of LGBTQ causes.
As far as writing goes, I’m not the most accomplished writer, which I’m proud of. I think I’ll stick to the plan.
Ferrell: You’re almost mocking that writing style anyway.
Steele: Yes, I did. Think about it. Eurovision—If you’ve ever seen Eurovision, it’s just a completely bizarre environment. And that was really important to me when telling the story of that film. Because I read an article… I’m stuttering, I’m sorry.
Ferrell: Oh, we’re used to it. [Group laughs]
Steele: And Josh was like, “Oh yeah, no, she To be “Nonsense.” But no, I read an article right before we went to our first session. Eurovision From this quirky writer who wrote a big book about Eurovision, and what he said in this book Time The article said that Eurovision is an image of what unionism is supposed to look like—freedom of speech and all the countries coming together in a much more welcoming environment. That’s why I wanted to do it with Will. Before I came out, I knew I was transgender, and I looked at it like, “This is awesome.” My writing went in that direction.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Listen Vanity FairS Little Yellow Men podcast now.
