{"id":28186,"date":"2025-01-08T22:37:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T03:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=28186"},"modified":"2025-01-14T10:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:37:50","slug":"better-man-robbie-williams-michael-gracey-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=28186","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Better Man\u2019: Robbie Williams, Director Michael Gracey and Cast from the Musical Biopic (Video Interviews)"},"content":{"rendered":"

From his early days as a member of the British boy band <\/span>Take That<\/span><\/a> to his rise as a global superstar in the \u201890s and early \u201800s, Robbie Williams has remained a bit of an enigma, despite creating a reputation for himself as a cheeky \u201cbad boy,\u201d who regularly said and did whatever was necessary to maintain saidimage. Few people realized that Williams was suffering from addiction and mental health issues, including what some refer to as \u201cimposter syndrome,\u201d all while performing literally to hundreds of thousands of his fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having turned 50 last year, Williams decided to team with <\/span>The Greatest Showman<\/i><\/b> director (and <\/span>Rocketman<\/i><\/b> producer) Michael Gracey to tell his story, using some of his best-known songs along with musical numbers, and a truly unique method of having himself portrayed by a visual effects-generated monkey, using motion-capture technology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re familiar with Williams and his music or not, <\/span>Better Man <\/i><\/b>is a terrific addition both to the biopic genre, but also as a musical, since it covers all of the ups and downs in Williams\u2019 life and career, including his conflicted relationship with his father (portrayed by Steve Pemberton), who also dreamed of being an entertainer like his idol, Frank Sinatra.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cinema Daily US<\/span><\/i> had a chance to speak with Williams and Gracey in an interview you can watch above, discussing why they chose to tell Williams\u2019 story in such fashion. And yes, we also asked Williams whether Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis had a chance to watch the movie yet, since they\u2019re portrayed in a less-than-favorable way considering the long-standing public feud they had with Williams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonno Davies and Raechelle Banno<\/b><\/p>\n

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Jonno Davies and Raechelle Banno in Better Man (courtesy Paramount)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For our second interview, <\/span>Cinema Daily US<\/span><\/i> spoke with actors Jonno Davies, who did much of the motion-capture as Robbie for the film, and Raechelle Banno, who portrays Nicole Appleton, the singer of the hit British girl group, All Saints, who had a tumultuous romance with Williams for many years. We mostly spoke to them about the fantastic dance number they perform to Williams\u2019 cover of World Party\u2019s \u201cShe\u2019s The One\u201d on a yacht, which is made sadder when one realizes that the writer of that song, Karl Wallinger, died in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n