Hugh Hefner’s widow Crystal has asked Jessica Biel to “reconsider” starring in upcoming Playboy movie Playmates.
Written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson, who was friends with Hugh Hefner’s children, Playmates is a coming-of-age tale that sees Indiana Elle’s Elle, a 13-year-old know-it-all who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home, develop an unlikely friendship with Anna (Lily-Rose Depp) one of seven hopefuls vying to be Playmate Of The Month.
“The two try to help each other get what the other wants most, a magazine cover and a boy,” reads the official logline.
Bill Pullman will star as Hugh Hefner and Jessica Biel will play his fictional wife in Playmates, but the Playboy founder’s widow has now asked her to reconsider.
“Please reconsider playing Hugh Hefner’s ‘wife’ if this film intends to romanticise him or the Playboy world,” Crystal wrote in a DM to Biel, that she’s now shared in Instagram.
“I was actually his wife, and I experienced sexual, emotional, financial and physical abuse in that relationship. Many other women 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 in this film takes the time to listen to the women who lived it before helping Hollywood turn it back into nostalgia.”
Jessica Biel hasn’t shared a public response to Crystal’s request.
“My goal has always been to support women, amplify their voices, and help create a world where their experiences are taken seriously. That’s where I want to keep putting my energy moving forward,” Crystal added in a follow-up post.
“Regarding the film, I hope it’s not something that will glorify Hugh Hefner. With women in the leading roles, my hope is that the film ultimately delivers a message of empowerment: that women can find fulfillment, independence, and a sense of self beyond Playboy.”
Since Hugh Hefner’s death in 2017, Crystal has spoken out about the abuse she suffered at the Playboy Mansion as a Playmate. “When people say, ‘Why didn’t you leave? Why were you there?’ I felt, at that point, so broken down and, like, damaged goods where I’m like, ‘Where would I go? I’m worthless. I’m useless. I’m part of this man’s, like, sexual perversions’,” she told EW in August.
“I felt like trash to be honest. I felt like this person had me doing all these things, and I just felt worthless as a person where, if I left, there would be no place in the world for me.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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