Will Ferrell backs beer brand in new documentary

Hollywood actor Will Ferrell appears to make a political statement with his choice of beer during new documentary Will & Harper, in which he heads off on a road trip around America with his friend.

Netflix documentary Will & Harper, released on 13 September, follows the Elf star as he sets off on a road trip across the US to reintroduce his good friend Harper to the country following her gender transition.

In the documentary, Harper Steele expresses concerns about how she might be received in some parts of America since starting her gender affirmation journey, and whether she will be physically safe roadtripping as a woman.

One scene shows Harper working up the courage to walk into a small town bar where walls are plastered with Trump posters and American flags, while Ferrell waits nervously outside to ascertain the reaction of drinkers inside.

Shared love of beer

While much of the documentary focuses on how the pair will navigate their friendship and its inevitable changes following Steele’s transition, one constant between the two is their shared love of beer.

During the film, Ferrell is shown drinking Modelo Especial, owned by Constellation Brands. The camera zooms in on the clearly identifiable beer label, which is highly visible throughout several scenes.

The move could be seen as a statement in support of Modelo and in opposition to rival brand Bud Light, which famously refused to support its trans ambassador Dylan Mulvaney following a collaboration which saw Mulvaney’s face printed on a Bud Light can. After Mulvaney posted imagery of the can on social media Bud Light drinkers called for a boycott of the beer in April 2023 and railed against Bud Light’s supposed pandering to a “woke” generation.

Former Republican president Donald Trump even weighed in, urging drinkers to return to Bud Light and give the brand “a second chance” as its sales figures continued to slide. In February 2024, Trump (overlooking the fact that AB InBev is formally a Belgian company) posted on social media:

“Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think? Perhaps, instead, we should be going after those companies that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!”

There are rumours of Trump owning a personal stake in AB InBev worth US$5 million.

In choosing to film themselves drinking Modelo, Ferrell and Steele could be seen to be endorsing brands which support diversity and equality. A further scene in the documentary shows the two friends attending an Indiana Pacers basketball game, where they run into the state’s Republican governor Eric Holcomb, who they later discover signed a bill in 2023 banning all gender-affirming healthcare. Ferrell says he feels like he dropped the ball in not asking the governor “what is your stance on trans people?”

According to new data, Modelo Especial is now the most-advertised beer brand on American television, with the brand spending US$155 million on TV ads last year. A report by Marketing Brew detailed how Modelo only made its first English-speaking TV ad as recently as 2015, yet has shot to the top of the beer category in terms of advertising budget in just nine years.

In June 2023 Modelo became the number one selling beer in the US, overtaking Bud Light.