Jessica Biel is adding another unexpected chapter to her incredible career. The actress has joined the cast of Playmates, Searchlight Pictures’ upcoming film set around the Playboy Mansion, where she will play the wife of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. But she won't be playing Kimberly Conrad, Crystal Harris, or Mildred Williams - her character is entirely fictional.
© FilmMagicBiel plays a former Playboy Playmate who eventually marries Hefner, portrayed by Bill Pullman.
© George RosePlaymates comes from writer-director Lorraine Nicholson, whose feature filmmaking debut is inspired by her own experiences growing up around the Playboy Mansion.
The story centers on 13-year-old Elle, played by Indiana Elle, who has grown up viewing the mansion as almost a second home. Her world changes when she crosses paths with Anna, played by Jonny Depp's daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, one of several women hoping to become a Playmate of the Month.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesDespite coming from completely different worlds, the two form an unexpected friendship as they each try to get what they want.
The movie appears to use the Playboy Mansion as the backdrop for a coming-of-age story about a young girl growing up in the middle of a world most people only know from the outside.
Biel’s Playmates casting comes just as she’s making her return to feature films after nearly a decade away. She stars opposite John Cena in Matchbox: The Movie, which marks her first feature film appearance in more than nine years. The movie drops on Apple TV+ October 9. Her last movie credit in front of the camera was for the 2017 film Shock and Awe.
© GettyWhat she's been up to
© GettyAside from television, Biel has spent the last several years building a career behind the camera through her production company, Iron Ocean Productions. She has expanded her work behind the scenes with credits that include The Sinner, Cruel Summer, and Candy.
© GettyIn front of the camera, her recent work has leaned heavily into darker, more psychologically complicated stories. In 2022, she starred as Candy Montgomery in Candy, taking on the real-life Texas housewife at the center of one of America’s most infamous true-crime cases.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupThen in 2025, she stepped into another complicated role in Prime Video’s The Better Sister, where she also served as an executive producer alongside Elizabeth Banks.
It also marks a change in her personal life. Following her husband Justin Timberlake's DUI, they seemed to retreat from the public eye, but two years later they have been united and committed partners.
© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupPlus, their kids are getting older. Biel has said that becoming a mother changed the way she approaches career decisions. “I have little kids, you know, there’s a lot of elements that go into a decision, for me at least,” she said in 2026 while discussing her return to movies.
