Crystal Harris, the widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has publicly appealed to actress Jessica Biel to reconsider her reported role in the upcoming Searchlight Pictures film Playmates. In an Instagram post published on October 8, Harris shared a direct message she sent to Biel, asking the actress to step away from the project if it intends to romanticize Hefner or the broader Playboy culture.
Harris was married to Hefner for four years until his death in 2017 at the age of 91. According to initial reports by outlets including E! News, Biel is slated to portray a fictionalized wife of the late media mogul in the movie, which is being written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson.
The Direct Appeal to Jessica Biel
In the private message shared publicly with her followers, Harris urged Biel to reflect on the darker realities behind the Playboy brand before committing to the production.
“Please reconsider playing Hugh Hefner’s ‘wife’ if this film intends to romanticize him or the Playboy world. I was actually his wife, and I experienced sexual, emotional, financial, and physical abuse in that relationship,” Harris wrote in her direct message to Biel.
Harris also referenced wider controversies surrounding the media mogul, adding, “Many other women have come forward with allegations of coercion, drugging, and exploitation as well. There are also deeply troubling concerns involving minors. I hope everyone involved in this film takes the time to listen to the women who lived it before helping Hollywood turn it back into nostalgia.”
Cast and Production Details for ‘Playmates’
Playmates marks the directorial debut of Lorraine Nicholson, daughter of actor Jack Nicholson, who has previously written about her childhood experiences visiting the Playboy Mansion. The film features a prominent ensemble cast:
- Bill Pullman as Hugh Hefner
- Lily-Rose Depp as an aspiring Playmate of the Month
- Indiana Elle as a 13-year-old named Elle
- Jessica Biel as a fictionalized wife of Hefner
According to loglines released by the studio, the coming-of-age story centers on 13-year-old Elle who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home. She meets Anna, one of seven hopefuls vying to be Playmate of the Month, and the two form an unlikely friendship as they navigate the environment.
While Biel is cast as Hefner’s wife, reports from Deadline emphasize that the character is entirely fictional and is not modeled directly on any of Hefner’s three real-life wives: Mildred Williams, Kimberley Conrad, or Crystal Harris.
Harris’s History and Post-Playboy Revelations
Harris married Hefner on New Year’s Eve in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86. In subsequent years, she has spoken openly about the regrets and challenges of her time in the marriage and living inside the mansion.
In her 2024 memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, Harris detailed the toxic environment she experienced. Discussing her marriage in retrospective interviews, she noted regrets about trading her independence for validation in her mid-20s.
Other former figures associated with the Playboy world, including former girlfriends Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, and Bridget Marquardt, as well as journalist and former Playmate Lisa Guerrero, have similarly criticized attempts to soften or humanize Hefner’s legacy through media projects.
As of publication, neither Jessica Biel nor the filmmakers behind Playmates have publicly responded to Harris’s request.
