Controversy around the Playboy inspired Playmates movie started almost as soon as the casting was announced. Bill Pullman is to portray Hugh Hefner with Jessica Biel as one of the Playmates in the film title
The Playmates movie….
The film is written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson (daughter of Jack), and inspired by her childhood friendship with Hugh Hefner’s kids with the film being described as an LA-set coming-of-age story following 13-year-old know-it-all Elle (played by Indiana Elle), who considers the Playboy Mansion her second home. During her time at the Mansion, Elle meets Anna (Lily-Rose Depp), one of seven hopefuls vying to be Playmate of the Month. The two form an unlikely friendship and try to help each other get what the other wants most, a magazine cover and a boy.
The controversy….
But its Hefner’s widow Crystal who has spoken out against the film and expressing her disapproval of a coming-of-age story inspired by her late husband. But it s not due to any loyalty to her late husband. Contacting Biel via instagram she asked. “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. 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.”
About the Playmates movie she went on to say, “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.”
Hugh Hefner died in 2017 aged 91 and since then Crystal and other Playboy models have spoken about the abuse or similar experiences they endured at the Playboy mansion.
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