(L to R) Director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams talk ‘Better Man’.
Opening in theaters in wide release on January 10th is the new musical biopic ‘Better Man’, which is based on the life and career of Robbie Williams, who is depicted in the movie as a anthropomorphic chimpanzee.
Directed by Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’), the film stars Jonno Davis (‘Hunters’) as the chimpanzee version of Robbie Williams, as well as Steve Pemberton (‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’), Kate Mulvany (‘Elvis’), Damon Herriman (‘The Bikeriders’), and Raechelle Banno (‘Pandora’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Robbie Williams and director Michael Gracey to talk about their work on ‘Better Man’, how Williams felt about the process, developing the screenplay, the idea to have Williams depicted as a chimpanzee, using CGI to achieve that effect, shooting the concert scenes, and if there was anything too personal for Williams to include in the movie.
Related Article: ‘Better Man’ Review
Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, Robbie, can you talk about what this process of working with Michael to tell your life story on the big screen has been like for you?
Robbie Williams: It’s been all the feels. It has been an honor and such an incredible opportunity for me, my family, my career, my life, my ego, my sense of self-worth. It’s been all the above, and plus, I know Michael and people know him from his work outside of ‘The Greatest Showman’ too, and they know he’s a genius. The fact that he asked me and thought that I was a viable option to do this, it was just too much of a good opportunity to pass.
Director Michael Gracey on the set of ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Michael, can you talk about the development of the screenplay, the interviews you conducted with Robbie, and at what point did you have the idea to depict Robbie as a chimpanzee?
Michael Gracey: Well, the stories were obviously really engaged with me. The thing I loved about the stories, which is why Rob’s voiceover is in the final film, is that I always loved the way in which Rob expressed his own narrative. He has a very wonderful way of telling a story, whether that’s through his lyrics or whether he’s just talking. So that was the inspiration for the script. Then, again, I just wanted to come at it with a more unique angle. I think Rob’s story is quite unique. I think as a person, he is quite unique, and so I just thought there should be something a little more surprising in the way that we present the film. So, I came up with the idea of the monkey, but you should always make it the star’s idea. So, I went to Rob, and I said, if you were going to be represented by an animal, what would it be? And Rob said…
Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
Robbie Williams: A lion. This was not the right answer, not the right answer on many levels, and Michael went, “Mm.” I went, “A monkey.” He went, “Yeah, okay. Here’s the idea.”
Michael Gracey directs Raechelle Banno on the set of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Better Man’.
Michael Gracey: To be fair, I hadn’t even finished the next sentence when I was describing what it would be to have Rob played by a monkey, and that no one would ever mention it. Rob was immediately on board. Rob was the easiest sell, then everyone else after Rob was the hardest sell ever.
Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as “Robbie Williams” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Robbie, I was really touched by the father-son element in the movie. What was it like for you watching those scenes, and did you ever feel like there was anything too personal for you to include in this movie and share with audiences?
Robbie Williams: Not too personal for me, but maybe too personal for the people involved. It may not have happened in that order, and my father may not be completely that way, but everything was how it felt, and everything was how it feels. The unusual thing is that typical northern English family dynamic is that we don’t talk about anything. The unusual thing about my life is I talk about everything, and not only do I talk about everything, but it’s also projected for the world to see. So, it’s highly unusual and difficult.
(L to R) Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams” and Nick Nicolas as “Tom Jones” in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone: Finally, Michael, can you talk about shooting the concert sequences and working with the mocap technology to create the lead character?
Michael Gracey: So, the mocap technology, Weta Digital made it very seamless. In fact, the technical side of it never interrupted anything, performance-wise, and they were just incredible. They were incredible, the artists that came on board, but also the on-set crew that we had capturing all that data that ended up being the performance of the monkey, all based on Jonno Davies. Concert sequences, we were very fortunate to have a real-life rock star, so he threw multiple concerts, which we took over and then got the shots we needed at Royal Albert Hall and at stadiums in Melbourne. So, they were real crowds, and it feels like real crowds, and for the performers, them up on stage with thousands of people in front of them screaming and cheering, it just makes it electric. So, there’s a real energy to those concert performance.
“Fame makes monkeys of us all.”
76
2 hr 15 minJan 10th, 2025
Follow Robbie Williams’ journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking… Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘Better Man’?
‘Better Man’ is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
The film is told from Robbie’s perspective. It follows his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist –– all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
Who is in the cast of ‘Better Man’?
- Robbie Williams as the voice of himself
- Jonno Davies as young Robbie Williams
- Steve Pemberton as Peter
- Alison Steadman as Betty
- Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin-Smith
- Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton
- Anthony Hayes as Chris Briggs
- Kate Mulvany as Janet
Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
List of Biopics Based on Musicians:
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