Remember This Iowa City Star Sighting? Now Featured in a Netflix Documentary!

It's always exciting to see a celebrity spend some time in the Hawkeye State.

Since I've been living in Iowa, there have been quite a few star sightings.

One particular sighting in the past year and a half was actually included in a recently released Netflix documentary.

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Will Ferrell Was Spotted in Iowa City

In early March of 2023, some Iowans were reporting sightings of comedian and actor Will Ferrell with a camera crew. Ferrell and his longtime friend Harper were spotted in various places around Iowa City.

Onlookers caught the 'Elf' actor filming at the Iowa City bar the Deadwood.

Will & Harper

Steele met Will Ferrell back in their SNL days. Ferrell joined the cast of the hit variety show the very same year but was on the writing staff. Since 1995, their friendship has blossomed.

In 2004, she took on the prestigious role of head writer on 'Saturday Night Live' and has partnered up with Ferrell multiple times over the years on various projects.

She has collaborated with her longtime several times after their time together on SNL came to an end. This most recent project though, will be the first time that she's in front of the camera.

In 2022, Harper sent Will Ferrell an email with the subject line “Here’s a Weird One," according to the Daily Beast. She shared with her friend that she is a transgender woman and would be transitioning and changing her name to Harper.

After this news, the duo decided to go on a cross-country road trip and make a documentary about this journey called 'Will & Harper.'

"I had met trans people, but I didn't have anyone personally in my life.  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 said in an interview at the Sundance Film Festival.

One of the stops was in Harper's original home right here in the Hawkeye State in Iowa City. Her parents were professors at the University of Iowa. She later attended the school and graduated with an English degree.

The nearly two-hour documentary film has been getting positive reviews. There is even some whispers that it might be up for Oscar consideration.

You can currently stream the movie on Netflix.

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