Hilarious, heartwarming new Netflix documentary Will and Harper will soon be released on Netflix. In it, comedian and actor Will Ferrell goes on a road trip through the USA with his best friend, the writer Harper Steele.

Will and Harper have known each other for years. They first met on the set of Saturday Night LiveHarper came out as a trans woman and underwent her gender reassignment surgery during the pandemic.

Will and Harper shows the two friends as they “hit the road together to process this new phase of their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country she loves – this time as herself,” the synopsis says.

“For 16 days, the two travel from New York to LA and visit places that are important to them, their friendship and America. With laughter, tears and many cans of Pringles, they leave their comfort zone and look at their relationship to these places and to each other in this new light.”

The film – a true story – received rave reviews, with one claiming the emotional documentary would “save lives.” At the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the documentary received two standing ovations.

But who exactly is Harper Steele? What do we know about her and her life? Let’s find out.

Where did Harper Steele grow up?

Harper Steele was born and raised in Iowa. She grew up in Iowa City and attended Iowa City High School and then the University of Iowa in the 1970s. As part of their road trip, Will and Harper visited Iowa City High for the first time since graduating in 1979 and posed for photos with students who are members of the school’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club.

GSA Club Advisor Jennifer Barr reflected on her meeting with the two and watched as Will and Harper sat down to ask the GSA Club members about their individual stories.

“Harper started asking the kids about their pronouns and what it’s like to be part of City High,” she told a local news site. “Will sat quietly supporting his friend while she asked him if there were any issues with feeling safe at City High,” Barr added. “What amazed me most was that despite her struggles as a student here, she came back and gave these kids hope.”

When did Harper Steele meet Will Ferrell?

Steele started working at Saturday Night Live the same week as Will Ferrell in 1995. She worked there for thirteen years, from 1995 to 2008, including four years as head writer.

Steele helped create some of Ferrell’s most memorable characters, including Robert Goulet. Will Ferrell told CBS how Steele looked out for him when he started at SNL, explaining, “People would say something like, ‘Oh yeah, I met this guy, he seems nice. He doesn’t seem that funny. I don’t know what he’s going to do on the show,’ and it was Harper who would reply to some of the writers, ‘Oh no, no, don’t underestimate him. He’s pretty funny, this guy is funny.’ So (she) was like a guardian angel in a way, someone who was looking out for me when I didn’t even realize it.”

What did Harper Steele do after she left? SNL?

Harper Steele is gone SNL for Funny or die in 2008, shortly after announcing their partnership with HBO. Funny or Die began as a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and others in 2007.

She was creative director for Funny or die and executive producer of HBO’s Funny or Die Gifts and produced the first twelve half-hour Funny or die shows that aired on HBO, and he wrote the screenplay for nine of them.

She also co-wrote the successful comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga with Will Ferrell.

How old was Harper Steele when she underwent her sex change?

Harper contacted Will in 2022 and explained to him that she was planning to undergo gender reassignment surgery at age 61.

As detailed in the documentary, she wrote a letter to her friends saying, “Look, I’m not a very political person, but just by being transsexual, I am a political person in a way. I’m asking you as my friends to stand up for me. Do your best when I’m spoken to the wrong way, just stand up for me, that’s all I’m asking.”

The two decided to take a cross-country road trip and document it while they processed this change and what it meant for their friendship – and the idea for Will and Harper was born.

Where can I stream Will and Harper?