Will Ferrell Breaks Down Crying After a Rough Night in Texas with Trans Friend Harper Steele: 'I Let You Down'
Ferrell and his fellow 'SNL' alum Steele, who was the show's head writer, share an emotional moment in the Netflix road-trip documentary 'Will & Harper'
Courtesy of Netflix
Will Ferrell (left) and Harper Steele in 'Will & Harper'Will Ferrell has spent decades making us laugh, in movies like Elf and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and of course, during his seven-year run on Saturday Night Live. In the new documentary Will & Harper, which premiered Sept. 27 on Netflix. the comedian shows his sensitive side — and lets the tears flow.
The movie follows Ferrell and his best friend Harper Steele, who started as a head writer on SNL the same week Ferrell joined the cast in 1995, on a 17-day cross-country road trip. It's a chance for Ferrell to reconnect with his pal and former colleague, who came out as a trans woman two years ago, but the journey takes one of several emotional turns after a trip to Big Texan State Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
Ferrell, who dresses like Sherlock Holmes for the occasion, attempts to eat a 72-oz. steak in one hour as their fellow patrons take photos of the pair, exposing a clearly uncomfortable Steele to the glare of Ferrell's spotlight. Steele ends up becoming the target of nasty comments on social media, and the next day, while back in the car, they try to unpack everything that happened the night before.
Courtesy of Netflix
Harper Steele (left) and Will Ferrell in 'Will & Harper'"The room started to feel very... wrong to me, and, I mean, the crowds that come around you so quickly," Steele starts. "I was feeling a little like my trans-ness was on display, I guess. And suddenly, that sort of made me feel... not great."
Ferrell thinks for a moment before responding. "The saddest part for me is, uh," he says as he starts to cry. "I just feel..."
"Oh, boy," Steele says as she reaches over from the driver's seat and squeezes her friend's shoulder. "Oh, okay."
"I feel like I let you down in that moment," Ferrell begins again, as Steele reassures him.
He continues: "I was like, 'Oh, s---, We gotta worry about Harper's safety.' You know, like what... That's where I just... I feel like I... Yeah."
They have another teary moment earlier in the film after Steele gets a warm reception from the locals in a biker bar and at a racing track in Meeker, Okla. They're happy tears, and they reveal an already-powerful bond that's strengthening with each passing state.
Steele and Ferrell talk about the experience of hitting the road together in an interview in the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.
Courtesy of Netflix
The promotional poster for 'Will & Harper'"There's more advantage than disadvantage, because everyone likes Will," Steele says of traveling with her A-list friend. "If you’re a trans person, you probably don’t have the opportunity to have Will Ferrell with you crossing America. It was very privileged. And a great way to demonstrate allyship and friendship."
Adds Ferrell: "I learned that I was okay with going into the depths of being as vulnerable as I could possibly be.... My job was to ask a few questions but to let Harper do all the talking."
A number of their former SNL colleagues make appearances in the documentary, including Will Forte, Molly Shannon and Kristen Wiig, who cowrote a song for the film.
Will & Harper is now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix.
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