– Michael Gracey directs the biopic, in which the artist is represented by a monkey
He January 1 of next year will arrive in Spanish cinemas ‘Better Man’ the film that brings the singer’s life to the big screen Robbie Williams in which the artist is represented, from his childhood to his consecration as a great pop star, by a chimpanzee created by CGI. Directed by Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’) in the film Williams addresses his family problems, its beginnings with Take That formation and also his older years self-destruction with multiple addictions and panic attacks on stage.
“I have learned more about drugs than in school“, he states in an interview with Europa Press in which he clarifies that, far from advocating the consumption of certain substancesthose dark years helped him to know himself much better as a person and gain in “emotional intelligence” at a time when words like depression, addiction or mental health were not in the conversation like they are today.
“I’m not suggesting that people go out and do drugs. I’m just saying that I was lucky enough to graduate from that school and leave it behind.”“, explains the author of hits like ‘Angels’, ‘Rock DJ’ or ‘Feel’, who highlights that, in addition to “the many regrets”, “the shame” and “all those bad things”, at that time he learned to have “sufficient intelligence” to be aware of his condition.”I was able to realize that it was killing me, that I was an addict, an alcoholic and that I reacted differently to those substances than other people.“he points out.
That process of healing and personal reconstruction, which is reflected in the final stretch of the film, continues to this day when Williams recognizes that, “although much, much less”, he still sees angry monkeys when he goes on stage and continues to suffer to some extent from imposter syndrome.
“NOW THERE IS AN ADULT AT THE WHEEL”
“I don’t feel like I deserve what I have, but I don’t care anymore. It’s not a problem anymore. I don’t think about it and if I think about it, I remember that I feel like I don’t deserve any of this… I know it’s along for the ride with me, but now there is an adult at the wheel. But the chimpanzee, the impulsiveness, the idiot, the funny boy… they are still with me in the car“, reflects Williams, who acknowledges that the idea of representing his character as a monkey was the director’s and he thought it was excellent for not making ‘Better Man’ just another film about the life of a music star.
“There are many, many biopics, perhaps too many. I think the public is most likely already bored with biopics.. And we needed a point of view that would make it unique. Michael Gracey came with that idea and I thought it was incredible,” recalls the artist who also confesses that he believed it would be “impossible” to find people in the industry “crazy” enough to get financing. “But we found them. Thank you. We need crazy people“he says with a smile.
And beyond financing, Gracey acknowledges, the biggest challenge when executing this unorthodox idea, which he recognized after reviewing hours and hours of interviews and conversations with Williams himself that he repeated over and over again “like a trapped monkey acting before others“were the technical issues.
An aspect in which the great work during filming by Jonno Davies, the motion capture actor who plays the main character, and WETA Digital, the New Zealand company founded by Peter Jackson responsible for the special effects of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, the ‘Avatar’ saga, Marvel productions such as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ or ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and, also, the most recent franchise deliveries ‘Planet of the Apes’. “It was a decision that cost a lot of money but one that I don’t regret at all, because I think that’s what makes the film so special.“, sentence.
Along with the aforementioned Jonno Davies, the actor who gives movement to the protagonist monkey who represents Williams, the cast of ‘Better Man’ is completed by names such as Alison Steadman, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, Raechelle Banno, Kate Mulvaney, Frazer Hadfield, Tom Budge o Anthony Hayes.