Crystal Harris has posted an Instagram direct message urging Jessica Biel to reconsider playing Hugh Hefner’s fictionalized wife in the upcoming film Playmates, citing her own experiences of abuse during her marriage to the late Playboy founder and warning against romanticizing the controversial media empire.
Searchlight Pictures is backing the film, which marks the feature-length writing and directorial debut of Lorraine Nicholson. Bill Pullman is cast as Hefner, alongside Lily-Rose Depp and Indiana Elle in leading roles. While Hefner was married three times during his life—to Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959, Kimberley Conrad from 1989 to 2010, and Crystal Harris from 2012 until his death—Biel’s character in the upcoming movie is entirely fictional, and she plays a character who is herself a former Playmate.
For Biel, the Searchlight Pictures project marks her return to feature films and her first movie in nine years. The actress has spent the last several years building a career behind the camera through her production company, Iron Ocean, via which she has executive produced shows like “Cruel Summer” and “Limetown,as well as her own starring vehicles like
Candy” and “The Sinner.” Her work in “The Sinner” earned her both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination, and she is repped by UTA, LBI Entertainment, The Lede Company, and Yorn Levine Barnes.
Crystal Harris Sends Direct Message to Jessica Biel Over Playmates Role
Crystal Harris, who was married to Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017 at the age of 91, posted a screenshot of a message sent directly to Biel on Instagram on Thursday, October 8, 2026. In the public post, Harris asked the actress to drop out of the project if the production plans to portray her late husband or the mansion environment in a nostalgic or positive light.
“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.”
Crystal Harris, former wife of Hugh Hefner, via Instagram
Harris also pointed to broader concerns surrounding the magazine’s history in her public message. She alleged that numerous other women have come forward with accusations of rape, coercion, drugging, and exploitation, adding that there are serious 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.”
Crystal Harris, former wife of Hugh Hefner, via Instagram
Plot Details and Production Leadership Behind Searchlight Pictures Film
The feature film is written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson, whose work is loosely inspired by her own childhood experiences growing up around the Playboy Mansion. According to the official logline reported by trade publications, the coming-of-age story follows 13-year-old Elle, played by Indiana Elle, who considers the estate her second home. At the mansion, she meets Anna, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp, who is one of seven hopefuls vying to be Playmate of the Month.
The plot centers on the unlikely friendship formed between the two characters as they try to help each other secure their respective goals of a magazine cover and a boy. Behind the camera, the production features significant female leadership. Jessica Biel serves as an executive producer through her Iron Ocean production banner, while Lily-Rose Depp balances her starring role with direct duties in the film’s production alongside High Frequency Entertainment producers Alex Orlovsky and Duncan Montgomery.
Memoir Revelations and Previous Allegations Surrounding the Playboy Founder
Harris has previously spoken out about the realities of living inside the estate. After Hefner’s death, she published her 2024 memoir titled Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, in which she detailed the emotional toll and controlling behavior she experienced during her marriage. In interviews surrounding the book’s release, she noted that many women in Hef’s orbit suffered lasting trauma.
The new movie arrives years after other public reckonings regarding the publishing mogul’s legacy. In 2022, a docuseries titled Secrets of Playboy levelled multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault against Hefner from former Playboy Bunnies. Representatives for Jessica Biel have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Harris’s public appeal.
