Disaster Will Ferrell: ‘If the Trans Community Is a Threat to You, Then It Stems From Not Being Confident or Safe With Yourself’

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Will Ferrell spoke to The Independent as part of his press tour for the Netflix documentary “Will & Harper” and was asked to share his opinion on why transphobia exists. He answered: “I think we fear what we don’t know.”

“Will & Harper” centers on the friendship between Ferrell and Harper Steele. The two met in the 1990s during their careers at “Saturday Night Live.” Steele came out as transgender 30 years into their friendship. The documentary, which was bought by Netflix after its premiere at Sundance earlier this year, finds the two comedians on a road trip across America as they rediscover their friendship following Steele’s transition.

“There is hatred out there,” Ferrell told The Independent. “It’s very real and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations. … 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.”

“It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her,” he added. “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.”

Ferrell told Variety at Sundance ahead of the documentary’s premiere that Steele came out as transgender in an email she sent to a handful of friends. “All of us were extremely supportive and expressed love,” he said. “But that sort of opened the questions like, how can we help you? What do you need us to do?”

Ferrell said 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,” Ferrell 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 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.”

“Will & Harper” streams Sept. 27 on Netflix.

 

[Not A Bunny]

They want all of the attention but only if it's the right kind of attention.

I remember reading an article more than a decade ago, maybe close to two, about Britney Spears. Hang on, I'm going to get there.

So, basically, it was about the phenomenon surrounding her where it was okay to be a fan, but if you weren't, well, how dare you for looking, just turn your eyes, nothing to see here.

Except Britney, at the time, was basically what Taylor Swift was this past year: inescapable.

That, I think, was the start of a cultural phenomena that is now equally as inescapable today: some combination of toxic positivity, parasocial connections (kids getting "validation" from online communities), and shielding children from any kind of negative feedback that might shatter their self-images.

As such, it's a poisonous combination of people reacting as if "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is now a matter of diktat, almost public policy, not just the polite thing to do. It's this evil idea that if you can't get people to accept you on peaceful terms, well, their enforced silence to give the impression of acceptance is just as good.

Nefarious, malicious, every negative word you can come up with, and then come up with more in four other language and that's about how bad this is.

It's why there's no good trans person to me anymore, none.

 

[queue-anon]

As such, it's a poisonous combination of people reacting as if "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is now a matter of diktat, almost public policy, not just the polite thing to do. It's this evil idea that if you can't get people to accept you on peaceful terms, well, their enforced silence to give the impression of acceptance is just as good.

Silence isn't even acceptable. Like that incident at the steakhouse. Steele demanding Texans, of all people, support "trans rights" mostly resulted in silence, but silence is violence nowadays. You will go out of your way to see him as brave and stunning, or else.

 

[Alter Ego]

I'm kinda just waiting and hoping for at least one person here to watch the film and report on it to the rest of us.

 

[McAfee]

I've always considered Will Ferrel to be an unfunny retard so it's nice to finally get some confirmation

Hopefully his fans rope and he finally stops selling movies

I grew up watching Will Farell movies. Talledga Nights was funny, but Daddy's home sucked, and I didn't even bother with his newer movies. Now he's just an old libtard.

Edit: I just realized we both mispelled Farrell. I guess that shows he's irrelevent now lol