Robbie Williams on why he’s played by a CGI monkey in new biopic ‘Better Man’

Robbie Williams has explained why he is played by a CGI monkey in his new biopic Better Man.

The semi-autobiographical film, directed and co-writtten by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), is due for release in the UK on Boxing Day (December 26) and in select US cinemas on Christmas Day (December 25).

When the first teaser for the movie arrived in October, many fans reacted to the unique decision to have a CGI monkey portraying Williams instead of an actor in a live-action role. Some called the move “bonkers”, “completely bananas” and “totally incredible”.

During an interview on The One Show last night (November 26), Williams explained that it was an idea of Gracey’s. Host Lauren Laverne then put it to the singer that “any number of wonderful actors could have played [him]”, and asked why this wasn’t the direction the pair went in.

In response, Williams said: “Well Jonno Davies is the actor behind the CGI chimpanzee me – who does a remarkable, incredible job.” Gracey agreed: “Yeah, he’s phenomenal.”

Williams continued: “Why was that? I love eccentricity and I love unusual and I love surreal – and it made complete sense to me as soon as [Gracey] pitched it to me. I don’t know if this film would be as talked about if it hadn’t had the monkey in it.

“And it does, and it has. And it all makes sense when you see it.” Laverne, who had seen a preview screening of Better Man, replied: “Within about 10 minutes you’re like, ‘Of course! Perfect!’.”

“I love eccentricity and I love unusual.”@robbiewilliams on the decision to have a CGI chimpanzee play him in the new film about his life, ‘Better Man’ 🐵

Watch #TheOneShow live now 👉 https://t.co/HbaIjs1TfM pic.twitter.com/iRaBObVREg

— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) November 26, 2024

Gracey added: “You see more of Rob in the monkey than you would if it was an actor playing him.” Earlier, the director explained how he and Williams had talked about the star’s life in his recording studio in LA to prepare for the movie.

“We did that for about a year-and-a-half,” he said. “And from those recordings… at a certain point, I was like, ‘There’s actually a really amazing story here’. Because what I loved wasn’t just the story, but I loved the way in which Rob told it.”

He went on to reveal that these original recordings ended up being used throughout the final film as “voiceover moments” from Williams himself.

It is said that the decision to use a CGI chimp is due to Williams’ belief that he is essentially a performing monkey while on stage. When reports first emerged about the monkey idea in 2021, Gracey said the music icon would be represented “in a really original way” onscreen.

An official synopsis of the biopic reads: “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.

“Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Williams’ perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit.”

It continues: “It follows Robbie’s 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.”

The forthcoming biopic also stars Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman and Damon Herriman.

Last week saw Williams release a reflective new single called ‘Forbidden Road’, which appears on the official Better Man soundtrack.

Earlier this month, the ‘Angels’ artist announced details of a huge tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe in 2025. The news came shortly after he’d hinted to fans that he would be hitting the road again “soon”. Find any remaining tickets here.

Williams said in April that he had “written loads of songs” and was feeling “full of purpose and loving life”.

He later revealed that a new album would be coming soon. However, the singer explained that he was “waiting to know when exactly the film [was] coming out before” announcing anything about the project.