Crystal Harris asked Jessica Biel not to romanticize Hugh Hefner in the film ‘Playmates,’ citing abuse during their marriage.
Hugh Hefner’s former wife Crystal Harris urged Jessica Biel this week to reconsider playing a fictionalized version of Hefner’s wife in the upcoming film “Playmates.”
Harris posted a screenshot of an Instagram message she sent to Biel after the casting was announced. In the message, Harris wrote, “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 added in her message, “Many other woman have come forward with allegations of rape, coercion, drugging and exploitation as well. There are also deeply troubling concerns involving minors. I hope everyone involved this film takes the time to listen the women who lived it before helping Hollywood turn it back into nostalgia.”
Harris was married to Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017. She detailed her life with him in her 2024 memoir, “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself.” In February, Harris also spoke out against his foundation’s handling of Hefner’s private scrapbooks, stating they “may include images of girls who were underage at the time and could not consent to how their images would be retained or controlled.”
The Searchlight Pictures project marks the feature directorial debut of Lorraine Nicholson, the daughter of Jack Nicholson, who wrote the script based on her childhood visits to the Playboy mansion. Bill Pullman stars as Hefner, alongside Lily-Rose Depp and Indiana Elle. According to the studio synopsis, the film centers on a 13-year-old who considers the mansion a second home and befriends a woman competing to become Playmate of the Month.
