‘Important’ reason why Will Ferrell insisted his documentary with trans best friend was released before the election

Will Ferrell has shared why he and Harper Steele were adamant that their new documentary was released before election day.

On Friday (September 27), Will & Harper dropped on Netflix - a documentary about the Anchorman actor learning about his close friend's transition into a woman.

To mark the occasion, Ferrell and Steele go on a 17-day road trip across the United States.

Steele, formerly known by Andrew, used to be Saturday Night Live's head writer, where she worked for over a decade between 1995 and 2008.

It's on the show that Steele and Ferrell became friends.

With their decades-long friendship in mind, the pair used the documentary as a way for Ferrell to ask Steele any questions he had about her transition (which she began in 2022).

The documentary has so far achieved critical acclaim and boasts a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

But the timing of Will & Harper's release wasn't coincidental - the pair pushed for it to be released before this year's election.

Harper Steele and Will Ferrell have been friends for decades (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

"When we sat down with Netflix we made it clear that we wanted this out before the election," Ferrell told Variety.

Explaining why, he continued: "We wanted it to have enough runway for people to get to see it and hopefully start having important discussions in their living rooms."

Election Day is set to take place in just a few weeks time on Tuesday, November 5.

Following its premiere at Sundance Film Festival at the start of the year, both Ferrell and Steele have heard from fans who were excited to see it for themselves.

The Elf star shared: "We’ve heard from people who say they can’t wait to see this with friends and family who maybe don’t share the same viewpoint and they’re looking forward to watching it all together.

"Hopefully it could slowly chip away at some of that."

Former SNL writer Harper Steele started her transition in 2022 (Netflix)

Before Steele's transition, Ferrell admitted that he knew very little about the trans community.

"I had met trans people, but I didn’t have anyone personally in my life," he admitted at Variety's Sundance Studio.

"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."

Ferrell added: "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 is now streaming on Netflix.