Crystal Harris says she lived through the reality that a Hollywood production is now turning into fiction — and she wants Jessica Biel to walk away from playing a version of it.

Harris, who was married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017, posted a lengthy message on Instagram this week asking Biel to "reconsider" her role in "Playmates," an upcoming feature written and directed by Lorraine Nicholson. According to coverage from TheWrap and The A.V. Club, Harris wrote that she experienced abuse during her time at the Playboy Mansion and said the film risks glamorizing a relationship dynamic she lived firsthand.

A director's own childhood, reimagined

"Playmates" marks the feature directorial debut of Nicholson, the daughter of actor Jack Nicholson, and is described as loosely inspired by her own childhood memories of visiting the Playboy Mansion. The cast includes Biel in a fictionalized role as one of Hefner's wives, along with Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Pullman, who plays Hefner himself. According to HollywoodLife, Biel's character is not based on any of Hefner's three real-life wives — Mildred Williams, Kimberley Conrad or Harris herself — but is instead a composite, fictional figure.

"I LIVED IT. PLEASE RECONSIDER."

Harris's appeal went further than objecting to her own portrayal. Her message also raised pointed concerns about the film's depiction of minors around the mansion, given that the cast includes a 13-year-old actress, Indiana Elle, in a prominent role, according to reporting on the Instagram statement. Representatives for the production have not publicly responded, and it's unclear whether the concerns raised will affect the film's release plans.

The casting and subject matter have made "Playmates" one of the more closely watched productions on the fall festival circuit, with industry observers noting that any film revisiting Hefner's legacy was bound to draw scrutiny from people who lived through the Playboy Mansion era. Harris is not the first of Hefner's inner circle to push back on how his story gets told on screen; several former Playmates have offered conflicting accounts of their time at the mansion in documentaries and memoirs over the past several years.

Nicholson has said in prior interviews about the project that she wanted to explore the mansion's culture through the eyes of a child who grew up adjacent to it, rather than tell a straightforward biopic of Hefner's life. That framing has done little to quiet questions about how the film will ultimately portray the women who lived there — questions Harris's public appeal has now pushed back into the spotlight just as the project heads toward release.

Biel has not commented publicly on Harris's statement, and representatives for the actress did not immediately respond to requests for comment from entertainment outlets covering the story. The film does not yet have a confirmed release date, though it is expected to be a focal point of awards-season conversation given its subject matter and the pedigree of its cast.