Summary

Welcome to a new episode of Collider Forces with Better Man’s Robbie Williams.

During his Forces conversation with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, Williams explains why he’s never had confidence in himself as an artist. It all comes down to bravery instead.

He also discusses his dreamy collaboration with Better Man director Michael Gracey, and explains why the response to Better Man at TIFF 2024 “crushed [him] in the best way possible.”

Robbie Williams is a hugely popular singer and songwriter. He set a record by winning 18 Brit Awards and has two Grammy nominations to his name. Williams has churned out six of the top 100 best-selling albums in British history, amassed an audience of 375,000 fans over three nights performing at Knebworth, setting a record that’s yet to be surpassed, and has sold 85 million album worldwide. The list of achievements and accolades goes on and on, but he insists, “I didn’t derive any joy from all the success that I had.” However, at 50, things have changed. “I am experiencing joy and I’m experiencing happiness. I’m also experiencing gratitude, a great deal of gratitude where I didn’t have gratitude before. So, these are my golden years.”
Williams has been enjoying a different kind of spotlight since August 2024. That’s when his film, Better Man, premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival before moving on to the Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and more. Based on Williams’ true rise, fall and resurgence, Better Man chronicles his journey from finding fame as a teenager with the boy band Take That, to parting ways with the group and mounting a solo career. While Williams did find great success on that path, it was one that also came with a significant number of struggles that, as Williams himself lists, included, “childhood trauma, fame too early, mental illness, addiction, [and] rehab.” Better Man shows how he powered through those challenges as Williams sees himself, as a “performing monkey.”
With Better Man gearing up to celebrate its nationwide release on January 10th, Williams took the time to join me for a Collider Forces conversation to revisit the early days of his music career, explain how his definition of having “it” has evolved over the years, discuss why he trusted Gracey with his story, and so much more.
Robbie Williams Doesn’t Have Confidence, But He Is Brave

“I don’t rely on confidence. I rely on the fact that I’ll throw myself at it.”

Often on Collider Forces and on Collider Ladies Night, we explore the jump from discovering the dream to act, or pursue any art form professionally, and finding the necessary confidence in one’s craft to believe you can, indeed, “make it.” In Williams’ case, however, he insists, “I’ve never had real confidence.” For him, it all comes down to bravery.

“I’ve come to realize that none of the confidence was real. It was all bravado, and it was all a mask, and the mask, I am a champion at – a masking champion. But then, after a while, a little bit of wisdom and being able to loop back, it’s like, ‘When am I going to be confident? When am I not going to hate myself? When am I going to know that I fill these shoes, that I fill this stage?’ And that moment’s never come. But I know this: I’m so brave. [Laughs] I’m so brave, and that is what I rely on. I don’t rely on my craft. I don’t rely on confidence. I rely on the fact that I’ll throw myself at it.”

Image via Paramount Picutres

Williams added, “Whatever happens when I get on stage, I’ve never phoned it in. I’ve always launched myself at it.”
While that’s remained consistent for him throughout his career, there is a particular part of it that’s evolved considerably recently. He began:

“I joined Take That when I was 16, I auditioned when I was 15, and I’d just been told that these next two years inform your life with the GCSEs, the exams that we were having, and I flunked everything. I got a D. That was the highest mark I got was D. So, I left there being told by teachers that, ‘Your life will mean nothing if you don’t succeed in these.’ By the time I got given the golden ticket, it was an absolute necessity to actually derive some form of meaning and life and salary from the only thing that I could do. So, this was savagery. [Laughs] This was primal. This was do this or die. That’s how it felt.”

While Williams certainly put that golden ticket to use, amassing fame and wealth, a vital piece was missing from the equation – joy. He explained:

“Through a series of a lot of things – childhood trauma, processing that, fame too early, mental illness, addiction, rehab, all bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad – I didn’t derive any joy from all the success that I had. Not one bit of joy. In fact, it was just like, ‘This is bringing a nightmare. My life is collapsing. I’ve collapsed. I need to put myself together. I don’t think I can. Should I stay on the planet or not?’ Now, I’m 50 and I am experiencing joy and I’m experiencing happiness. I’m also experiencing gratitude, a great deal of gratitude where I didn’t have gratitude before. So, these are my golden years.”

No More Gatekeepers for Robbie Williams

“I want to get rid of all the people that could tell me that I don’t exist.”

Image via Paramount

Related

Sure, It’s Weird, But the CGI Monkey Is What Makes Robbie Williams’ ‘Better Man’ Work

Let’s address the monkey in the room.

Williams is making the most of these golden years in a multitude of ways, but an especially big one is sharing his life story with the world via film. And just like with his music, Williams would make Better Man his way – and his way was Michael Gracey’s way.
Williams began by discussing the luxury of having creative control with his music:

“Nobody’s ever come to me and said no, ever. I had grand expectations for my musical output when I was in Take That and when I left, I wanted to be this and I wanted to be that, and I wanted to be all the people that have inspired me. What happened was pure pop came out, and it comes out to this day, and I can’t help it. This is me. This is what I do. This is my art form. But because I am pure pop and because I can’t help but be commercial – not because I’m cynical, because it’s what’s in my heart – nobody’s come and said, ‘Can you be less commercial?’ I’ve done the right things, and I’ve never had that moment where a record company comes in and tells me that’s not the album.”

Williams is well aware of what an anomaly it is to have total creative freedom in such a cutthroat business, and at 50, he’s determined to maintain it, and expand it into other aspects of his career.

“It’s very difficult. It’s almost impossible, you know? What I am now doing at the age of 50 is, I want to get rid of gatekeepers in my life. I want to be the only gatekeeper in my life. And I say it’s very difficult, obviously I’ve had it, but most people don’t. I want to get rid of all the people that could tell me that I don’t exist, that could tell me that my opinion is not right. I’m doing that for myself in many different ways in many different aspects of business, separate to the music industry, to what I do for touring music.”

“There Are So Many Brilliant Movies to Be Made if Studios Will Just Get Out of the Way”

Robbie Williams insisted Michael Gracey had creative control over the movie.

Williams isn’t only blocking out the gatekeepers in his own life. He helped do just that for Better Man director Michael Gracey, too.

“This is his one go at complete control. This film. He won’t get it again. I suppose, from my limited understanding of the film industry, you probably won’t get what you’re after, but that friction is probably what will make you aspire and achieve great things, because you’re always going to experience adversity. It’s never gonna go your way. Life is unkind, thank god. I am, for Michael Gracey, so wonderful to work with for this movie because I’ve just gone, ‘Go do your thing.’ And also, it’s an independent movie. There are other movies waiting to be made. God bless studios. I love them and I see why they function and why they are needed, but there are so many brilliant movies to be made if studios will just get out of the way.”

Williams added, “Hopefully, this film will translate with audiences, and this will testify to the fact that there are a bunch of Michael Graceys out there ready to take a big swing and make the lead an ape.”
While Better Man didn’t light up the box office during its very limited release over the holidays, hopes are high things will pick up with its wide expansion because, quality-wise, Williams and Gracey’s big swing paid off big time. The CG monkey in Better Man is wildly impressive. The film is loaded with electric song and dance set pieces, personal favorites being “Rock DJ” and “She’s the One.” And perhaps most important of all, this adaptation of Williams’ story is a hugely inspiring tale of one’s journey to become a better man.
Robbie Williams Says the Response to ‘Better Man’ “Crushed Me in the Best Way Possible”

Image via Paramount

Time will tell if the film will spark with the masses, but it has struck a chord with film festival crowds and with critics. Better Man currently rocks a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been showered with praise on the festival circuit, like at TIFF 2024 where the crowd reaction “dented” Williams. He explained:

“It dented me, crushed me in the best way possible because I was sharing this movie in a country where I’m not well known at all in front of 2,000 people, and I was just having a nice experience with Jonno [Davies], who plays me, and Michael, the director, and then, at the end of the movie, I’m thinking, ‘I’m fine. I’m good,’ because sometimes I’ve seen it, and sometimes I’ve cried, and I’m not crying. I’m just enjoying this moment. And then, in unison, 2,000 people turned around and they clapped us. But when they’re clapping us, they’re clapping my story. There was something so powerful, and now I know what it is: what it is is, you’ve been seen and heard, and we respect you anyway, even though you’ve been this person who’s not so great, we’ve seen your arc and we’ve seen the redemption. We see your heart and we see your soul, and we’re loving you for it.”

Looking for even more from my Collider Forces conversation with Williams? You can watch the full chat in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the interview in podcast form below:

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Directed by Michael Gracey, Better Man explores the life and career of singer Robbie Williams through his own eyes.

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Cast

robbie williams
, Jonno Davies
, Steve Pemberton
, Alison Steadman
, Damon Herriman
, Anthony Hayes
, Kate Mulvany

Main Genre

Biography

Better Man hits theaters nationwide on January 10.
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