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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 Hi, I'm Matt Carey, documentary editor at Deadline.com, and
00:19 we are in the Deadline studio at Sundance.
00:22 And we are talking about Will and Harper with Will and Harper.
00:27 Will and Harper of the title, Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.
00:31 Welcome to us in our studio.
00:33 >> Thank you. >> Welcome to our studio.
00:34 That's what I'm trying to say.
00:36 Not very well, in our beautiful studio here.
00:38 >> It's gorgeous.
00:39 >> This is a road trip, but maybe I'll throw that to Will first.
00:45 The origins of it, it's during the pandemic.
00:47 You get an email from your good friend that you've known from SNL for so long.
00:53 And tell us a little bit about that and how it led to this road trip.
00:57 >> Yes, received an email from Harper with the headline that said,
01:05 here's a weird one, and she began to explain that
01:10 at the age of 59 she was going to transition.
01:13 And so immediately responded and said,
01:21 congrats, we love you, amazing, this, that, and the other.
01:24 However, it was big news for all of us.
01:30 And but it took, you too.
01:34 >> It was big news for you too.
01:35 >> Yeah.
01:36 >> [LAUGH] >> Finally.
01:37 >> Imagine that.
01:38 >> Yeah.
01:39 >> And by 39, by the way.
01:40 >> Yeah, 39, sorry.
01:42 But I think it took us a good six months before we actually had a face-to-face
01:47 kind of sit down.
01:48 And during that time, someone, a mutual friend had said that Harper was lamenting
01:54 about the fact that these road trips, that if you know Harper, that's part of her DNA.
01:59 She's been driving cross country four or five times a year for
02:04 as long as we've known her.
02:05 That she was now slightly fearful of what that would mean as a trans woman now.
02:13 And when we finally got to have our face-to-face coffee and give each other a
02:16 hug, I proposed this idea that we take this trip.
02:20 It gives me a chance to support her.
02:25 It gives me a chance to ask her questions that I have.
02:27 And then I don't know why I said it, but, and we'll film it.
02:31 >> [LAUGH] >> And-
02:33 >> And you said, absolutely,
02:36 no problem at all.
02:38 >> Not really.
02:38 >> You have no anxiety about this?
02:39 >> Not really.
02:40 >> I'm gonna think about this.
02:41 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:43 Tell us about some of the places that you visit.
02:45 And there are red states, blue states, probably some purple states.
02:49 >> Yeah, yeah, well, we started in New York, we went to LA.
02:53 So, and I've done that many times, back and forth.
02:56 And I had a route that I liked.
02:58 I wanted to go through my hometown of Iowa City and hang out with my sister.
03:03 So it was limited, a lot of interstate, 80.
03:07 I mean, we are coming from DC, so if you know your roadways, some 80.
03:11 Gee, I don't wanna get into roadways.
03:13 Anyway, we went to-
03:15 >> This is not Route 66.
03:16 >> No, it wasn't, no.
03:17 >> Let's not be less glamorous.
03:18 >> We did fly down into Texas and Oklahoma and-
03:21 >> We did go down through kind of Flagstaff.
03:23 >> Yeah, yeah.
03:24 But, Indiana Pacers game, a wonderful bar in,
03:30 slightly outside of Peoria.
03:33 >> Mm-hm.
03:33 >> Richard Pryor's hometown.
03:37 >> Who?
03:38 >> Richard Pryor.
03:39 >> Richard Pryor's hometown.
03:40 That's right.
03:40 >> Yeah.
03:43 And yeah, we had a lot of fun places.
03:47 Places that I'm used to hitting throughout my life.
03:51 So yeah, that was-
03:54 >> And some of these places we went together, and others, Harper said-
03:59 >> I'm gonna give it a shot.
03:59 >> I'm gonna give it a shot on my own.
04:01 >> Right, because if I walk into a place with Will Ferrell,
04:06 I'm suddenly insulated in a way.
04:08 I mean, I'm exposed to things that I wouldn't normally be.
04:12 But it was important that there were times in going to bars, you're like, no,
04:15 wait a minute, I'm gonna try this and see how people respond to me.
04:19 And so that I can compare it to the Will effect, certainly among others.
04:23 >> The Will effect is pretty huge, and it's very safe.
04:27 It was very safe, I fully acknowledge that.
04:29 And on top of it, even without Will, the camera crew makes it safe for me.
04:34 So that's another aspect.
04:36 I've gone back and forth a couple times actually since that road trip.
04:41 And what the doc-
04:42 >> Thanks for the invite, by the way.
04:44 >> [LAUGH] I'm telling the story.
04:46 >> I know, okay, keep going.
04:47 >> What the doc did for me was give me a little more confidence.
04:51 As a trans woman, I will say, you probably don't wanna be overly confident.
04:56 I'm still a little leery of what I would do in my 20s and
05:01 30s when I was performing male.
05:04 But I think I am a lot more confident, and
05:08 I think this documentary helped me immensely in that sense.
05:14 >> It certainly was a journey in every respect for you, Will, as it is for
05:18 the audience.
05:19 Super emotional for me watching it in a beautifully touching way.
05:25 What were some of the things that were maybe most emotional or
05:29 opportunities for learning, if you will, for you?
05:33 >> Yeah, there were a number of moments.
05:36 I mean, for me, it was a chance to transition myself in a way to learn,
05:44 to get to know my friend even more than I knew her before.
05:51 To get to ask these questions that I think a lot of cis people
05:57 still have for me to struggle on camera with asking these questions.
06:03 And then, yeah, there are a couple emotional moments where I'm
06:09 struggling with making sure I stand up for my friend in moments
06:15 that felt tense for us, and feeling like I fail at times.
06:20 But I think we were obviously both willing to go there.
06:28 That's what's kind of crazy about it.
06:31 You kind of, that's what's kind of crazy about a documentary.
06:34 You do eventually forget there are cameras there.
06:37 And we let our guard down and
06:38 we're able to have these super honest and kind of frank discussions.
06:45 >> Yeah, absolutely.
06:46 It's very frank in a way that most people aren't willing.
06:48 They're not comfortable enough to kind of go there, but
06:50 your bond helps you certainly through that.
06:54 I hope this isn't off topic, but I did want to ask about this.
06:59 Your former head writer at SNL.
07:02 >> Yeah, yeah.
07:02 >> And one of the fairly frequent hosts is Dave Chappelle,
07:07 in his most recent Netflix special that premiered on December 31st.
07:12 Once again, he's making trans people the object of his humor, shall we say.
07:19 But I wonder from your point of view, from either of you,
07:22 how you feel about that.
07:25 Because maybe he is channeling or voicing what some people say and
07:31 wouldn't say, but it's very prejudicial, I would say.
07:36 >> I might say that too.
07:36 I think I support trans people 100%.
07:41 I will second you.
07:43 I think it's off topic.
07:45 I do, I think it's like we are here to talk about this movie and if I get into,
07:49 it's too soundbitey environment for me to talk about those sort of issues,
07:54 which I have plenty of opinions about and may come out later in front of Congress.
07:58 >> All right, okay, thank you.
08:00 Yeah, I'm somewhat hesitant and yet it certainly-
08:03 >> No, no, no, no, I respect the questions always, but I don't, again,
08:06 I know when it doesn't feel like the climate for that.
08:10 >> Let me take it back though a little bit to SNL of like,
08:14 it's a reunion movie in a sense of Kristen Wiig and
08:18 Will Forte, we see Lorne Michaels and all that.
08:22 Kristen, did you do a good job with the song ultimately?
08:25 You were trying to get her to write this song for the film.
08:28 She, it took a bit of prodding.
08:30 >> Yeah.
08:31 >> Did she come through in your view?
08:33 Did she get a home run with that?
08:35 >> She was awful.
08:36 >> Yeah, it was not up to our standards.
08:38 >> No, we're not friends anymore.
08:41 >> [LAUGH] >> Unfortunately.
08:45 >> She nailed it as far as I'm concerned.
08:46 >> No, she blew us away with this.
08:51 I mean, what was surprising, and of course,
08:56 knowing Kristen, she went off on her own and
09:01 literally did this thing, which was a complete surprise to us.
09:05 We were hoping she would follow through as we prod her throughout the movie to
09:09 write us a theme song.
09:10 And then what she delivered was so sweet and
09:16 touching and yet funny still in its own way, but really kind of blew us away.
09:20 >> It's a wonderful film.
09:21 This may be a last question for now, but you're in the hands of a guy,
09:25 Josh Greenbaum, director, who knows comedy as well.
09:29 That's gotta give you a comfort level.
09:31 >> Yeah. >> That he kind of speaks your language.
09:34 >> Yeah, that was important.
09:36 I mean, that was a big, important thing.
09:38 I mean- >> Cuz that's the language that binds us.
09:41 >> Yeah. >> As friends.
09:42 >> I mean, we were gonna get, and I knew this is 17 days of talking endlessly.
09:49 And I knew that it was gonna get intense at times.
09:53 And I just, I had to have someone that was gonna not only speak the language,
09:58 someone I personally was just comfortable with.
10:01 So he was amazing.
10:03 I knew him before, but the more I get to know him,
10:09 just the humanity there to me is so sweet.
10:12 I'm telling you, there's 200 hours of documentary there.
10:16 A lot of it is shitty.
10:17 >> [LAUGH] >> But Josh-
10:22 >> Because of us.
10:25 >> Josh pulled out the humanity.
10:27 >> Yeah. >> And I thought that was really sweet.
10:29 >> Yeah. >> Well, it's an amazing,
10:31 incredibly emotional, funny film.
10:35 And- >> Thank you.
10:36 >> So thankful for you guys.
10:38 I'd say guys, but I mean- >> No, no, no, we go with guys.
10:41 >> We know what you mean.
10:42 Trust me, I've asked that question.
10:44 >> [LAUGH] >> If that terminology-
10:45 >> It's Will and Harper, and
10:47 we've been joined by Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.
10:50 Congratulations on your world premiere.
10:52 >> Thank you very much.
10:53 >> Thank you.
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