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Why is Robbie Williams played by a monkey in film biopic Better Man?
2 October 2024, 15:05 | Updated: 2 October 2024, 15:11
Robbie Williams has revealed the real reason he and biopic film director Michael Gracey decided to have a CG monkey portray him in Better Man.
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The first trailer for Robbie Williams' biopic film Better Man dropped on Wednesday, 2nd October, and - while some fans were already in the know about the twist of the film - others have been left confused as to why a monkey is portraying the Angels, Let Me Entertain You and Feel hitmaker.
Robbie, 50, has worked alongside The Greatest Showman directer Michael Gracey on this unique biopic film which explores his childhood days, his rise to fame with Take That, his solo career as well as his battle with addiction.
When Michael pitched the idea to have a CG monkey play him in the film, Robbie said it was "straight away yes," explaining that he related to the significant meaning behind the alternative choice.
But why is Robbie Williams played by a monkey? What is the real meaning behind the choice and what has he said about it?
Why is Robbie Williams played by a monkey in Better Man?
In short, Robbie Williams is played by a monkey in his biopic film Better Man to reflect the hitmaker being "pushed on stage" like a "performing monkey" throughout his life.
Looking at this more in depth, directer Michael Gracey has explained how the CG monkey was the "best way to capture Williams’ deep self-loathing in the film" as he struggles with fame and addiction.
Gracey, who taped 18 hours worth of conversations with Robbie about his life during the development of the film, said he noticed that Robbie often described himself as a "monkey" when discussing being "pushed to perform on stage", even "when he was barely conscious because of the drugs and alcohol".
This idea goes a bit deeper, however, with the director going on to explain how Robbie felt like a performing monkey years before he found fame. Gracey explained to Vanity Fair: "To see himself as a performing monkey wasn’t just whilst he was famous — it was his whole life.
"He was always putting on a performance at [his hometown] Stoke for the other kids, at home for his parents. And it made it so powerful for me because I was like, You're going to fall in love with this character, this little monkey. And you’re going to invest emotionally in this little monkey. As long as you set that contract at the start of the film, you’re in, and you will go with that monkey through the entire journey."
Speaking about his reaction when Gracey pitched the idea of him as a monkey, Robbie said: "Amazing. Straight away, yes. Because I want everything that I do from here on in to be slightly unusual, so that fits that narrative."
He added: "As humans, we care more for animals than we do for humans. So the audience is probably going to have more empathy for me as a monkey than they would’ve done for me as me."
