Hugh Hefner's widow urges Jessica Biel to reconsider role in upcoming film

Crystal Hefner, the widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, posted a screenshot of an Instagram direct message she sent to actress Jessica Biel, requesting that Biel "please reconsider" playing a fictional wife of Hefner in Lorraine Nicholson's upcoming film "Playmates." > "Please reconsider playing Hugh Hefner’s ‘wife’ if this film intends to romanticize him or the Playboy world," Crystal wrote. "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." The film, produced by Searchlight Pictures, is described as an LA-set coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old girl who spends time at the Playboy Mansion and befriends a young woman aspiring to become Playmate of the Month. Bill Pullman is cast as Hugh Hefner, while Biel’s role is said to be fictional and not based on any of Hefner’s three wives. Crystal added that she hopes the movie does not glorify Hefner and instead conveys a message of empowerment for women.