Crystal Hefner has a message for Jessica Biel: think twice before stepping into the world of Hugh Hefner. The former Playboy model, who was married to the magazine founder until his death in 2017, has publicly urged the actress to reconsider her involvement in Playmates, an upcoming film set against the backdrop of the Playboy brand.
According to Variety, Biel has joined the cast of the project, which will feature Bill Pullman as Hugh Hefner. The film is not a conventional biopic, and Hefner is not its central character. Biel, meanwhile, will play a fictional version of his wife.
That casting has prompted a direct response from Crystal, who shared a private message sent to Biel on Instagram. Her concern is that the film could romanticise Hefner and the Playboy world without confronting the darker experiences she says she witnessed during her marriage.
In the message, Crystal alleges that she experienced sexual, emotional, financial and physical abuse during her relationship with Hefner. She also says other women have made similar allegations, while raising what she describes as troubling concerns involving minors.
Crystal’s appeal to Biel is straightforward: if Playmates presents Hefner or the Playboy Mansion in a flattering light without addressing those issues, she wants the actress to reconsider her participation. She also called on others involved in the production, particularly the women, to think carefully about their role in shaping Playboy’s public image.
The film’s premise centres on a 13-year-old girl connected to the Playboy Mansion who helps an aspiring model pursue the coveted cover of Playboy magazine. In return, the model helps the teenager try to get closer to her crush.
It’s a fictional story, rather than a direct account of Hefner’s life, but the Playboy name carries decades of cultural baggage. For Crystal, the question is whether a film built around that world can tell its story without polishing the image of the man at its centre.
Biel has yet to publicly respond to Crystal’s message. With Pullman portraying Hefner and the film drawing renewed attention to the Playboy legacy, the casting debate raises a familiar question for Hollywood: where does nostalgia end, and where does accountability begin?
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Last modified: October 9, 2026
