Will Ferrell’s New Project Is A Documentary
Will Ferrell attends the "Will & Harper" Premiere during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 22, 2024 in Park City, Utah.
Will Ferrell’s latest project is something of a new direction for the actor, who is well-known for his comedic roles. For the first time ever, Ferrell will star and produce a documentary titled Will & Harper. The documentary centers around the relationship between the beloved comedian and his best friend, Harper Steele, as they take a road trip. The two met during their days on Saturday Night Live. Ferrell first established himself in the mid-90s as a cast member on the sketch comedy series, where he performed from 1995 to 2002. Meanwhile, Harper was a writer for the series from 1995 to 2008.
Ferrell told Variety earlier this week, “It was three summers ago in which Harper emailed a lot of her close friends with the headline: Here’s a Weird One.” In 2022, Harper came out as transgender at 61 years old and explained to her excited and surprised friends that she was going to transition. “All of us were extremely supportive and expressed love,” Ferrell went on, “but that sort of opened the questions like, ‘How can we help you? What do you need us to do?'”
Ferrell’s Learning Experience
The 56-year-old actor admitted he had “zero knowledge” about the trans community before Harper came out to him. “I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life,” the Step Brothers star said. “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. It’s a chance for all of us in the cis community to be able to ask questions and also just to listen and be there as a friend to discuss this journey.” During their joint interview with Variety, Harper added that the documentary “tells the story of a cis friend of a trans person who has to transition himself.” The friends of 30 years will be seen on a 17-day road trip across the country “to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America,” the official synopsis reads. Will & Harper has received positive reviews from critics at its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Will Ferrell's 5 Most Feral Roles
Will Ferrell is one of the most iconic leading men in comedy. Born and raised in California, Ferrell used comedy as a way to make friends as a youth in suburbia. In his senior year of high school, he and a friend would perform comedy skits over the school’s intercom system (with cooperation from the principal). Ferrell also performed comedic skits in the school’s talent shows and was voted “Best Personality.” In 1991, his mother encouraged him to pursue his passions, so he moved to Los Angeles. He successfully auditioned for the comedy group The Groundlings, where he spent time developing his improvisation skills.
SNL and Beyond
A producer for Saturday Night Live saw Ferrell in the improv group. During a time when SNL was declining in popularity in 1994 and 1995, Ferrell was asked alongside two other members to audition for the sketch comedy show to audition for Lorne Michaels. He nailed it, joining SNL in 1995 and stayed on for seven years. He has hosted the show five times, becoming a member of the show’s Five-Timers Club. During his time on SNL, Ferrell appeared in a multitude of comedy movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Zoolander.
Continuing to land comedy roles like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Starsky & Hutch he earned a place among Hollywood’s Frat Pack (usually considered to include Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and Vince Vaughn). When he starred in the now-iconic fan-favorite Step Brothers with frequent collaborator John C. Reilly in 2008, viewers were either unamused by the duo, or loved their crazy antics. We are the latter. With 128 acting credits under his belt now, with nine upcoming projects, Ferrell is also a writer and producer. He can next be seen in the Barbie movie, coming out in theaters Friday, July 21.
See below our 5 picks of Will Ferrell at his most feral:
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
