“Robbie Williams: Better Man”: interesting facts about the musical biopic with the iconic singer in the form of a monkey

A frame from the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” / photo by Adastra CinemaOn January 23, 2025, the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” will be released in Ukrainian cinemas, which combines a musical and a biopic about one of the most popular singers of today with unique VFX graphics from special effects specialists who worked on “The Lord of the Rings”, “Avatar ” and “Planet of the Apes”.

The film is based on the true story of the dizzying rise, dramatic fall and spectacular return of British pop star Robbie Williams – one of the brightest singers of our time.

UNIAN, together with Adastra Cinema, the distributor of the tape in Ukraine, talks about this truly unique film, which will be a real event for both music fans and moviegoers.

What is the movie about?Currently, Robbie Wilms is one of the pop artists with more music awards and honors than anyone else in the world. Six of his albums are among the top 100 best-selling albums in British history (with total sales of over 80 million copies worldwide), and 14 of his singles have reached No. 1 in the UK charts. In addition, Robbie has won 18 Brit Awards, more than any other artist. He has released a total of 19 UK chart-topping albums, including solo work and albums with boy band Take That, placing him in the top 2 of all-time artists with the most hits.

In November 2023, Netflix released the four-part documentary series Robbie Williams, directed by Joe Perlman, which topped the Netflix ratings in 22 countries and entered the top 10 in 48 countries. So there can be no doubt that the feature film about Robbie will also be wildly popular.

Visionary director Michael Gracie (“The Greatest Showman”) made a film that shows the life of Robbie Williams from his own perspective, showcasing the singer’s signature humor and indomitable spirit. The story traces Williams’ journey from his youth as the youngest member of the popular boy band Take That to the unparalleled achievements of his solo career – while also showing the challenges that come with extreme fame and success.

Michael Gracie promises to take the audience through the life and career of Williams in a non-standard and fantastic way. Gracie approached the story of Williams’ rise with a satirical eye – the musician will be depicted on the screen in the form of a CGI monkey, making the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” one of the most unusual musical biographies.

CGI monkey from the creators of Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings”Explaining the choice to portray the musician as a Planet of the Apes-esque character, Gracie says: “I asked Robbie, ‘If you were an animal, what would you be?’ You once said that you were “brought on stage to perform like a monkey.” So I think it’s better to show you not the way we see you, but the way you see yourself.” And Robbie really liked the idea. All that remained was to implement it.

A frame from the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” / photo by Adastra CinemaMichael Gracie is an Australian. And ever since he was a teenager starting out in visual effects in Sydney, he’s dreamed of one day working with Wētā, the company behind such iconic digital characters as Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Caesar from Planet of the Apes and the inhabitants of the planet Pandora in “Avatar”.

Armed with his own 2D designs and concept art, Gracie presented his vision to Wētā VFX Executive Producer David Conley. Impressed with both the script and Gracie’s ambition, Conley not only backed the project, but also assisted Gracie in 3D rendering of key musical scenes and turning the director’s designs into realistic 3D characters. Wētā’s passion and unwavering belief in the film led the company to create a dedicated studio in Melbourne for the production of Robbie Williams: Better Man.

In the film, the role of the monkey was played by Jonno Davis (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”, the series “Hunters”): we will not see his face in the frame, but we will see all his movements, because the actor was filmed in a special suit with sensors to capture movements – like the one that was on Andy Serkis when he played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

“The animators created a digital version of Robbie, using a lot of footage of Robbie himself to combine with Johnno’s performance,” explains the director.

Original music by Robbie Williams and his art And although we will not see Robbie himself in this film, we will, of course, hear him. All songs in the film are performed by Robbie Williams himself.

In particular, especially for the film, he re-recorded such hits as Angels, Feel, Better Man, Let Me Entertain You, Something Beautiful, Rock DJ, She’s the One, Come Undone, etc.

But not only music, but also art is unique in Robby. And Australian choreographer Ashley Wallen, who worked with Gracie on “The Greatest Showman,” helped recreate it on the screen.

A frame from the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” / photo by Adastra Cinema”It was Robbie Williams: Better Man co-writer Simon Gleeson who introduced me to Michael Gracie over 20 years ago,” Wallen recalls. “And since then we’ve worked together on everything he’s done, from commercials to movies. haven’t worked with someone for so long and it creates a common ground. I like that Michael has high expectations because it motivates me. He also understands dance and I’m really sensitive to work with someone who wants to bring a lot of dance to the film. It’s a dream come true.”

Also, the main choreographer of the Robbie Williams team joined the performance of the numbers, and together with Wallen, they helped Johnno Davis to perfectly reproduce the singer’s signature plasticity.

The real life of Robbie Williams Although we see a monkey on screen and not the real Robbie, the story told in the film is completely true. At its center is the beautiful and complex story of the father-son relationship between Robbie Williams and his father, the performer Peter Williams, known by the stage name Peter Conway (played by Steve Pemberton), as well as Williams’ close and warm relationship with his mother Janet (Kate Mulvaney) and Grandma Betty (Alison Steadman). Williams’ parents divorced when he was three years old, and Peter devoted himself more to stand-up comedy and singing than raising his son. In Pemberton’s play, the role of Peter is filled with empathy, humor and stage charm, Steadman brought deep emotionality, love and support to the role of Robbie’s grandmother, while Mulvaney conveyed the authenticity, heart and humor of a single mother’s relationship with her son.

A frame from the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” / photo by Adastra CinemaAlso joining the cast was Australian actress Rachel Benno, who played Williams’ ex-girlfriend, Nicole Appleton, who was once a member of the wildly successful girl group All Saints with her sister Natalie Appleton (her role in the film was played by Rachel’s sister, actress Karina Benno).

“Nicole Appleton is a very kind, wonderful person and an incredible person,” Williams recalls of his former girlfriend, who is still his close friend. “She was the right person at the wrong time for who I was at the time. There are moments in the film that are very personal. , which are still difficult for me to watch, experience and understand.”

A frame from the film “Robbie Williams: Better Man” / photo by Adastra CinemaRobbie Williams really was never an angel and a model boy. There were many questionable moments related to the use of illegal substances or indecent behavior in his life, which is why the film received an “adult” R rating.

“This film seeks to tell the story I’m always looking for: the pursuit of an impossible dream,” says the director. “Here, Robbie is not just a pop star, but also the person behind the image he created. The film reveals his flaws, contradictions and brilliance , which make up the true personality of Robbie Williams.”

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