Will Ferrell honored in Santa Barbara, speaks about trans documentary
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—He’s played an elf, a race car driver, and even a journalist.
Out all the comedic roles he’s played Ferrell says “Will and Harper” tops it all.
“It was one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever gotten to be a part of,” said Ferrell.
The story follows Ferrell’s friendship with Harper Steele— a long time friend and SNL writer who recently transitioned.
As the dynamic duo take a 17 day road trip across the United States, the magic unfolds.
“Yes, we have serious conversations. But the goal is to make each other laugh. And that's just the way we converse. Like our love language is comedy. And so when we decided to do this, we knew that we would be doing a lot of doing a lot of beats, doing a lot of things that made ourselves laugh. But we were so surprised that an audience thinks it's funny, too. So that was a pleasant surprise,” said Ferrell.
Fans of the documentary say it’s opened up the door for people to have difficult conversations and to do so with love, empathy, and curiosity.
“I’m not exaggerating there isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't come up to me and say, I saw Ellen Harper and this is what it meant to me. And whether you're, you know, someone in the trans community or whether you don't, it's just an advocacy advocacy for friendship and for civility and so it crosses over to a lot of people,” said Ferrell.
“Through the documentary, you also see what the uncomfortable led to. That's just a deeper understanding, a deeper appreciation, and a really good strength in their friendship,” said UC Santa Barbara Daily Nexus Editor Lauren Chiou.
As Harper learns more about herself and her new identity, strangers of all backgrounds also catch a glimpse of what life is like as a transgender woman.
“ Being on the outside of anything is holding us in experience. And I think what the show really brought to light was like having vulnerability between friends and being able to really open yourself up on those levels that you grow every single day in a friendship. And I think that they really showed that in this documentary,” said UC Santa Barbara TV Producer Francesca D’Agata.
From “Will and Harper” to “Anchorman” there’s a lesson that all journalists can walk away with.
“I think as journalists, we can apply that to our work, that even though certain topics might be uncomfortable, we do have a responsibility to be reporting the truth and to be talking about these subjects. And I think it was honestly inspiring to watch just to know what we can bring, you know, and what we can do with our job,” said Chiou.
