Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Harris, has urged actress Jessica Biel to decline a fictional role as the late Playboy founder’s wife in the upcoming film Playmates
. Harris cited her own experiences with abuse inside the mansion, warning the production against romanticizing the Playboy world.
Crystal Harris Warns Jessica Biel Against Romanticizing Playboy
Following the casting announcement for the upcoming Searchlight Pictures film, Crystal Harris reached out directly to Jessica Biel on Instagram. Harris, who was married to Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017, shared a screenshot of her private message in a public social media post, asking the actress to reconsider her involvement.
Please reconsider playing Hugh Hefner’s ‘wife’ if this film intends to romanticize him or the Playboy world.
Crystal Harris
Harris stated that she experienced sexual, emotional, financial, and physical abuse during her marriage. She added that numerous other women have brought forward allegations involving rape, coercion, drugging, and exploitation, alongside deep concerns involving minors. Expressing her viewpoint in a message to the actress, Harris urged everyone involved in the production to listen to the women who actually lived through those environments rather than assisting Hollywood in turning the era back into nostalgia.
Reflecting on her past in earlier statements, Harris noted that she was only 26 years old when she married the media mogul, who was 86 at the time. She later described feeling as though she had been completely brainwashed during her time in his orbit, noting the immense age gap between them. In candid public reflections, she expressed deep regret for entering into the marriage during her mid-twenties, explaining that she had mistakenly believed tying herself to one of the most famous men alive meant she had finally achieved personal value and importance. She acknowledged spending years shrinking herself so that his life and world could feel larger, admitting that it took her a long time to understand the reality of what was happening around her.
Before their eventual wedding on New Year’s Eve in 2012, where she wore a pink dress instead of the traditional white she had always imagined for a real marriage, Harris noted that playing the role of his wife felt like a promotion from her prior status, but it remained a form of work. Beyond her marriage, Harris faced her own significant health challenges, battling Lyme disease, breast implant illness, and toxic mold exposure. Despite these struggles, she described herself as hyper-vigilant about protecting his public image, even acting as a caretaker who supported him physically in public to mask his growing frailty and confusion. In late 2017, after returning from a week away, she learned he had developed a severe urinary tract infection caused by a drug-resistant E. coli strain. Although his bedroom was converted into a makeshift medical space with necessary antibiotics, he ultimately slipped away while she and others were in the hallway discussing next steps.
The Production Details and Fictionalized Characters
Written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson, Playmates
marks the feature writing and directorial debut of the filmmaker, who is the daughter of Jack Nicholson. The project is backed by Searchlight Pictures, with Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery producing via High Frequency Entertainment alongside Lily-Rose Depp, who is producing in addition to starring. Studio oversight for the project is managed by vice president of production Richard Ruiz and creative executive Cornelia Burleigh, who report to heads of production and development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
According to the official logline released by the studio, the coming-of-age story follows young Elle and Anna (Depp) as they form an unlikely friendship, each attempting to help the other secure what they desire most: a magazine cover and a boy.
Jessica Biel brings an extensive acting background to the project, having starred in feature films such as The Illusionist
, New Year’s Eve
, Valentine’s Day
, and The A-Team
, as well as television series including 7th Heaven
, Candy
, The Sinner
, and The Better Sister
. Her acclaimed performance in The Sinner
earned her both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. In addition to her acting career, Biel is an accomplished producer who has executive produced television projects like Cruel Summer
and Limetown
through her Iron Ocean production banner, alongside her own starring vehicles. She is represented by UTA, LBI Entertainment, The Lede Company, and Yorn Levine Barnes.
Years of Public Disclosures Regarding the Playboy Mansion
Since Hefner passed away at age 91, Harris has spoken candidly about the toxic environment inside the mansion. In 2024, she published her memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself
, detailing her difficult marriage and the psychological toll of her time in Hefner’s orbit. Her public advocacy has also extended to speaking out against the handling of private archival materials, cautioning against the release of sensitive personal records and explicit photographs that could involve underage individuals or women who were unable to give informed consent.
Biel’s representatives have not publicly responded to the request, and production on the Searchlight Pictures project continues forward following its initial casting announcement.
Harris herself has expressed hope that upcoming entertainment featuring these settings will ultimately deliver a message of empowerment, showing that women can find independence and fulfillment far beyond the influence of Playboy.
