We chatted with Robbie Williams:

The movie Better Man by Australian director Michael Gracey traces, unvarnished, the difficult rise of singer Robbie Williams to stardom. In an interview, the artist talks about the idea of ​​being represented by a monkey in the film and about watching it with his ex-partner.

Steffen Rüth / ch media

Better Man is a great cinematographic fresco. This film, directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman)traces the first 30 years of the life of Robbie Williams, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, England.

But this is an unusual biopic: the main actor is a computer-generated chimpanzee, played by British actor Jonno Davies.

We follow this daring monkey as he rises to fame with the pop group Take That, before being kicked out of the group due to his disciplinary problems and his growing addiction to alcohol and drugs. He then attempted a solo career, which he eventually succeeded in, but at a high cost.

Fortunately, the story has a happy ending: Robbie Williams is still a superstar today, but he is also – and above all – a happy man. Married to actress Ayda Field, he is the father of four children aged 4 to 12. The 50-year-old singer looks back on his “him” before and today.

watson: Robbie, Better Man recounts your life and career in a raw, often painful way. What was your experience of watching this film?
Robbie Williams: I’ve seen it a dozen times now, and I still haven’t gotten tired of it. This film is a box of surprises about my life. There are so many things to discover, which I am rediscovering myself. I feel immense joy watching it, and I strive to absorb every drop.

Was it difficult to look back on the darkest moments of your life?
Luckily, actor Jonno Davies did it, and he did a fantastic job. My role was limited to recording the soundtrack and talking intensely and at length with Michael Gracey about my life. We spoke for almost twelve hours, without filter.

If, during a dinner, my remarks do not evoke some shocked or disgusted reactions, it is not a successful evening for me (laughs).

Throughout the film, we see you struggle with deep self-loathing. You seem to have managed to transform this destructive feeling into acceptance, even self-love. Better Man does it somehow represent the Robbie Williams epic?
It’s one aspect, sure, but it’s not like I’ve eradicated that self-hatred. I don’t let it get to me as often anymore. nor so closely.

She no longer plays a central role. I managed to silence this inner voice that kept telling me that I was a horrible person (laughs).

You may have been difficult with those around you at times, but certainly not a horrible person.
No, but you can’t fight your inner demons.

The film shows your rise to stardom in an unglamorous light. Were you surprised, at the time, to realize how fame wasn’t as extraordinary as we think?
Oh my God, yes (laughs). It was a shock, like buying a huge cream cake, with extra-thick filling, and looking forward to it in advance. Then, at the first bite, realizing that it is just a sticky, tasteless and ultra-sweet mass. I was almost angry that fame wasn’t as fun as I had imagined.

Drugs have become a growing problem for you. Rarely has cocaine addiction been shown as graphically as it is in Better Man.
I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol in 24 years! But yes, drugs are evil. I say this without irony. What we find on the streets is really, really horrible. I’m glad the film realistically shows the damage drugs can cause.

In the film, you are played by a monkey. This may seem strange, but it quickly becomes natural.
I am incredibly proud of what Michael Gracey has created. He had to overcome a lot of resistance, especially from investors. But without the monkey, this film would not have existed.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​featuring a monkey?
Michael and I are oddballs. The monkey idea is crazy, but I thought it was brilliant from the start. We wanted something original.

Your eyes have been scanned in high resolution. The monkey looks at us throughout the film with your eyes.
It’s sad, but true: we humans have more empathy for animals than for other people. When we see an animal suffering, we feel compassion and find it difficult to bear the images. There are a whole series of scenes in Better Man which are difficult to watch. And the monkey, Jonno, he’s not only magical, he also has a nicer ass than I’ve ever had (laughs).

What does this film actually represent for you?
Better Man is a gigantic project. For me and for the future of my career, this film is very important. I am an attention-seeking professional and a person who, even at fifty, remains very ambitious.

Michael says it’s a miracle you’re still alive. How do you perceive your life today?
Amazed, that’s the word. Grateful. I’m not the same Robbie as before. People can change, and I have changed. Today, I live in safety, security and happiness. This is where I draw strength and joy from.

Another central theme is that of your depression and anxiety.
Most people understood how important it was. When I was 20 or 25, people said to me: “But why are you sad?” We are experiencing a global pandemic when it comes to mental illness.

Today we understand that a person is not inferior if they have alcohol or drug problems, if they have ADHD, or if they cannot read or write properly. This is where I really have to praise the Internet. The Web helps us enormously in finding words for the problems that afflict us humans.

Better Man ends in 2005. Why did you leave aside the happier period of your life, which began afterwards?
Because conflict and trauma bring in more viewers. No one wants to see a movie where there’s not much happening other than a balanced person doing balanced things.

But today I am happy. I experience joy, I love and I am loved.

Are you worried that your mental problems will return?
Yes, I fear that a sadness as deep as the one I experienced then will strike me again. But I am also confident, because today, she would come across someone who has done work on himself, who knows himself better and who is surrounded by people he trusts.

Have Nicole Appleton, your ex-fiancée, and Gary Barlow, your Take That bandmate, ever seen the film?
When Gary read the script, he called me and said “Rob, my character is worse than Darth Vader in “Star Wars” for the whole first half of the movie” (laughs). I was a little scared: I didn’t want to upset Gary, but I had to tell my story.

Nicole, for her part, is an angel, then as now. She gave me permission to tell this story. We have a good relationship. We saw the film together, she held my hand and I held hers.

You are now fifty years old. Do you like getting older?
Yes, absolutely. For me, getting older means being happier. Today, I truly love my life, in a way I never thought possible.

And when you’re 80, what will you sing?
“Old Before I Die.” But I could already sing this song today (laughs). (aargauerzeitung.ch)

(Translated and adapted from German by Tanja Maeder)