The new musical biopic “Better Man,” which is about the life and career of Robbie Williams, depicted in the film as an anthropomorphic chimpanzee, will hit theaters on January 10 with a wide release.
Directed by Michael Gracey (“The Greatest Showman”), the film stars Jonno Davis (“Hunters”) as Robbie Williams’ chimpanzee edition, Steve Pemberton (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”), Kate Mulvany (“The of the galactic hitchhiker. Elvis’), Damon Herriman (“The Bikeriders”) and Raechelle Banno (“Pandora”).
(L to R) Director Michael Gracey and Robbie Williams talk ‘Better Man’.
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.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Williams, Gracey, Jonno Davis and Raechelle Banno.
Robbie Williams in ‘Better Man’ from Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone: To start with, Robbie, can you tell us about the procedure for you to work with Michael to tell the story of your life on the big screen?
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 Paramount Pictures’ “Better Man. “
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 Paramount Pictures’ “Better Man. ”
Robbie Williams: a lion. It wasn’t the right answer, the right answer on many levels, and Michael said, “Mm. ” I said, “A monkey. ” He replied, “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 touched by the detail between father and son in the film. What was it like for you to see those scenes? Did you ever feel that there was something too private for you to include in that film?Percentage with the audience?
Robbie Williams: Not too private for me, but it probably wouldn’t be for the other people involved either. It probably wouldn’t have happened in that order, and my father probably wouldn’t be quite like that, but it was all that I felt, and it was all that I felt. It’s just that the typical family circle dynamic in the north of England is that we don’t communicate about anything. What happens in my life is that I communicate about everything, and not only do I communicate about everything, but it is also projected for the total global to see. So it’s very 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 to us about filming the concert sequences and running the mocap generation to create the character?
Michael Gracey: So Weta Digital’s mocap generation made it very transparent. In fact, the technical side never disrupted anything, performance-wise, and they were simply incredible. The artists who joined us were incredible, but also the team on set that we had to capture all that knowledge that ended up being the monkey performance, all based on Jonno Davies. For the concert sequences we were very lucky to have a real rock star, so he organized several concerts, which we took charge of and then gave us the shots we needed at the Royal Albert Hall and the stadiums in Melbourne. So, they’re genuine crowds, and they feel like genuine crowds, and for the artists, they’re on the level of thousands of people in front of them screaming and clapping, it just makes it electric. So there’s genuine power in those concerts.
Better Man”Fame makes us all cute. ” 77R2:15 a. m. January 10, 2025Opening hours and tickets
Follow the journey of Robbie Williams from childhood, to the youngest member of boy band Take That, and his unprecedented achievements as a record-breaker. . . Read the plot
‘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.
Jonno Davies and Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams in Paramount Pictures’ “Better Man. “