Will Ferrell Says Transphobia ‘Stems From Not Being Confident or Safe With Yourself’
Will Ferrell discussed why he feels transphobia persists around the world, acknowledging that “there is a lot of hatred out there,” for trans individuals.
“It’s very real and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations,” the actor told The Independent in an interview published Wednesday. Ferrell’s comments come days before Netflix’s release of Will & Harper, the documentary that follows a road trip with Ferrell and best friend Harper Steele, a former head writer for Saturday Night Live who came out as transgender.
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“But I don’t know why trans people are meant to be threatening to me as a cis male. I don’t know why Harper is threatening to me,” Ferrell said. “It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her. She’s finally who she was always meant to be. Whether or not you can ultimately wrap your head around that, why would you care if somebody’s happy? Why is that threatening to you? If the trans community is a threat to you, I think it stems from not being confident or safe with yourself.”
As for why Ferrell believes transphobia exists in the first place, he told the outlet that “I think we fear what we don’t know.”
“What if we went on a road trip together, giving her a chance to go into a cowboy bar or whatever places she misses, and I can be by her side and lend support as a friend?” Ferrell told Netflix of the concept for the new documentary. “At the same time, it would give us a chance to reconnect and figure out what this transition means to our relationship.”
Steele said the documentary served as a chance to experience life as a trans person outside of the more liberal bubbles where trans people are more readily embraced. “I love the whole country. It’s my country, and I wanted to feel a little safer being in it,” she said. “And I thought that going across the country with Will Ferrell would help me.”
In a review for Rolling Stone earlier this year, David Fear wrote that “Will & Harper is, at its heart, is a portrait of a friendship and how the fundamentals of a deep and lasting bond doesn’t change even when the people within it do.”
He added, “That alone makes it worth the trip.”
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