
In a unique twist similar to Pharrell Williams’ biopic Piece by Piece, where his story was presented using Legos last year, Robbie Williams challenges traditional norms in Better Man as he is portrayed by a computer-generated monkey. Jonno Davies provided the voice and motion capture for the character, but the audience sees an animated monkey throughout the film. The creative idea originated from the film’s director, Michael Gracey (famous for The Greatest Showman), who pitched it to Williams. “I thought it was brilliant, genius, and a bit crazy,” Williams shares with me over Zoom from Los Angeles, the day after the Golden Globes where he attended as a first-time nominee for the movie’s closing track, “Forbidden Road.” (The song was also nominated for an Academy Award, but eventually disqualified due to not meeting the required criteria.)