Harper Steele says the anti-trans governor “abandoned all his principles” to take a photo with Will Ferrell while filming the Netflix documentary

It turns out that having Will Ferrell helps convert other people's prejudices into (temporary) tolerance.

Ferrell and Harper Steele, the protagonists of Netflix's new road trip documentary “Will & Harper,” stopped by “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on Tuesday to discuss the project. And Steele — Ferrell's longtime collaborator and former “Saturday Night Live” head writer who came out as transgender during the COVID pandemic lockdowns — recalled meeting Indiana's anti-trans Gov. Eric Holcomb during his stay wanted a photo op with her friend at a Pacers basketball game.

“I would say if you walk into a bar or a basketball game with Will Ferrell, people tend to be friendly,” Steele began. “We have an awkward moment with the governor of Indiana, who isn't much of a transsexual, but he needed a photo with Will so badly that he dropped all his principles. And that’s exactly what Will does for me.”

Steele added, however, that it is politicians like Holcomb who polarize Americans against one another, but that while filming the documentary, out Friday, she found that “people's resting place in general is kindness.” I think we found that across the country.”

“In general, I think people want to be friendly and it's just the news, the press and the politicians that polarize us. So yeah, that’s how I feel,” Steele said.

Check out the full interview segment below:

“Will & Harper” was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Netflix in February. It documents a cross-country road trip with Ferrell and Steele, which ultimately serves as an opportunity for the decades-old friends to get reacquainted after Steele's transition, setting the stage for Steele to come into her own while meeting people and doing things Coast to coast.

“It's a film about the power of friendship and acceptance that we hope can help change culture,” director Josh Greenbaum said in a statement at the time of the Netflix acquisition.

Governor Holcomb has served as governor of Indiana since 2017 and has become a prominent figure in anti-trans legislation. He was widely condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, in 2023 for signing a discriminatory, gender-affirming care ban into law.

Watch Steele and Ferrell's “Late Night” interview in the video above.

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