Crystal Harris urges Jessica Biel to reconsider playing Hugh Hefner's wife

Crystal Harris has urged Jessica Biel to "please reconsider" playing Hugh Hefner's wife in Playmates.

It was revealed earlier this week the Sinner actress has signed up to portray a fictional spouse of the late media mogul in the upcoming movie but the Playboy founder's third wife has asked her to drop out of the film, citing her own experiences of abuse in her marriage.

Crystal - who was married to Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017 - shared a screenshot of a direct message she had sent to Jessica about the project.

It read: “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 this 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.”

Although Hefner - who died in 2017 at the age of 91 - was married to Mildred Williams and Kimberley Conrad, as well as Crystal, in his lifetime, the character Jessica will play is entirely fictional, Variety reports.

Playmates tells the story of a 13-year-old girl called Elle - who will be portrayed by The Housemaid actress Indiana Elle - who considers the Playboy Mansion to be her second home.

As she’s at the Mansion, she meets a wannabe Playmate Anna, played by Lily-Rose Depp, who is vying to be Playmate of the Month.

The pair form an unlikely friendship as Elle tries to help Anna land her goal, whilst Anna attempts to get Elle her dream - a boyfriend.

Lorraine, the daughter of legendary actor Jack Nicholson and his ex Rebecca Broussard, has loosely based the story on her own experiences at the Playboy Mansion while growing up in the public eye.

While Lorraine’s short film Life Boat, which she wrote and directed, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Playmates will mark her feature directorial debut.

She previously hit headlines with an essay she penned for Vanity Fair about growing up in Hollywood, in which she called Los Angeles the “status-anxiety capital of the world”.