pop star Robbie Williams, who is known for being part of the group Take That as well as for his own hit singles, including "Angels" and "Millennium." This film steps outside the box, however, presenting him as a CGI monkey without need of any sci-fi explanation. Directed by The Greatest Showman's Michael Gracey, who has an exceptional history in VFX, Better Man explores the life and career of singer Robbie Williams through his own eyes.
Jonno Davies plays Robbie Williams through voice acting and motion capture, while Raechelle Banno plays Williams' ex-fiance Nicole Appleton. Better Man dives into the depths of their relationship - from the good to the bad, to the very bad. Better Man started playing in limited theaters on Christmas Day, but will go wider with its release on January 10.
Better Man Review: Robbie Williams As A CG Chimp Is The Strangest, Most Brilliant Biopic Decision I Didn't Know I Needed
The film is a visual spectacle and there's heart at the core of the story, making for a balanced dive into Robbie Williams' rise to pop stardom.
ScreenRant interviewed Jonno Davies and Raechelle Banno about Better Man. They discussed their reaction to learning that Robbie Williams was going to be portrayed by a monkey throughout the film, and their reaction to seeing it on the screen for the first time. This was especially emotional for Davies, as he was the one doing the motion capture and acting for the role. The two also spoke about working with Robbie and how hands-off he was about the whole project.
Jonno Davies & Raechelle Banno Were Both Blown Away By The Techonology Used To Turn Robbie Williams Into A Monkey
"When I was both filming and not filming, I was just hanging around the Wētā guys being like, how are you doing this? Tell me everything."
Screen Rant: What was your reaction when you found out that Robbie was going to be a monkey in the movie?
Jonno Davies: For me, the first time I found out was when I first spoke to Michael. What was lovely about the audition process for this was usually it's self tape at home, you just have to kind of go off your instincts to see what happens. Whereas my first thing was actually speaking to Michael over zoom and even pitching me the movie. He showed me Feel and he showed me My Way, the bookends of the story. So the monkey was always part of the process and was always part of the job for me.
As I grew to understand the project. It was always there. It was the fabric of it. But then to understand the technology behind it, I'd never done motion capture like that before. So to actually understand what was needed and how much was needed, you kind of just learn on the job. You'd go, All right, well, now we're going to perform in front of 20,000 people, and you're still going to be in the motion capture suit. You're going to do a really intimate scene with a leading lady, and you're still in the motion capture suit, and there's still a thing attached to your head, and you're still wearing the beautiful gray pajama bottoms.
But I love that chimp. I love that monkey. It allowed me to have the role. It allowed me to expand my abilities as an actor, because it allowed me to play, and it allowed me to be present and work with fantastic casts such as Raechelle. So yeah, I'll always be very thankful for that little primate. I love it.
Raechelle Banno: My first time I found out was in the tiniest little line at the bottom of the email when the audition came through. And it was confusing at first, but the great thing was, is I didn't have time to focus on it, because Nicole doesn't treat him like a monkey. So for the audition, I didn't have to have that in the back of my mind. It just wasn't my business in that moment.
It wasn't until I met Michael, where he showed me the sketches and showed me similar materials, where I could get on board with this technology, and how they were going to do it. And then, honestly, when I was both filming and not filming, I was just hanging around the Wētā guys being like, how are you doing this? Tell me everything. And they were so generous with us. At least, I know they were with me, and just walked me through this groundbreaking technology and how they achieved the magic that they did.
Even Though Audiences See A Monkey, It Is Still Jonno Davies' Performance That Shines Through
"My greatest joy was that we didn't lose Jonno. Everything you feel is him."
Screen Rant: Similarly, what was it like when you actually saw it for the first time?
Jonno Davies: Oh, emotional. You know, you worry a little bit because you think, am I just going to be there as a reference point? Is it actually just going to be guys on the computer or whatever you're animating it that way? But to hear myself, to see myself, to the moments, because it was two and a half years between finishing principal photography and seeing this final product, and you go, Oh, wow, it's all still there. I'm there. So that was a really, really great feeling to share that with my family, with the other cast as well, and with Michael and Robbie. Sitting next to Rob watching us. Me be him and him be a monkey. It was a strange, poetic moment.
Raechelle Banno: I only saw the monkey for the first time when I was doing some dialogue recording in the studio in August last year, and it was the first time I'd actually seen the monkey. It was a line where you're being actually quite mean to me on the couch. But I was like, it's Jonno and I walked out, and I called my team and was like, this is going to work. I've been saying for years, trust me, trust me. It'll work. Because I had faith, but I was like, Oh, this is going to be brilliant. And my greatest joy was that we didn't lose Jonno. Everything you feel is him. And so it was just, it meant that what I felt on set is what you also feel in the cinema. So just magicians, honestly,
Robbie Williams Was Extremely Hands Off, Which Was Freeing & Ultimately Made The Film Better
"He didn't want to have a stranglehold on the creative process of this, [which] is why the film is as striking as it is."
Screen Rant: How hands-on was Robbie throughout the process?
Jonno Davies: He wasn't, which was what made it really freeing. He was there from the off. I got to meet him, basically, just pick his mind about his early life, what it was like to be famous in that time, and how it affected him. But then he kind of went, you guys, you've got this, I'm not going to stand here and go, I wouldn't say like that, or I'd walk differently. Otherwise it would just create way too many barriers, and you wouldn't be able to get the creative juices flowing, as it were. And I think it's also probably better for him, because he then got to see the film as almost like an outsider, and just see his life be played out that way, in a whole different way to tell a story.
Raechelle Banno: But props to him, I think the film is better for the fact that Rob was so willing to have this be a warts and all story. He is the villain in every story he tells, and the fact that he didn't want to have a stranglehold on the creative process of this, I think, is why the film is as striking as it is in of its storytelling and the creative direction. Because he really trusted Michael, and he really trusted the people that Michael brought on, and that's really relevant. I think he knows a good thing when he sees it.
More About Better Man (2024)
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 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.
Check out our other Better Man interviews:
- Michael Gracey & Robbie Williams
- Jonno Davies & Michael Gracey
Better Man is playing in select theaters now and releases wide on January 10.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Better Man
- Release Date
- December 25, 2024
- Runtime
- 136 minutes
- Director
- Michael Gracey
Cast
Robbie Williams
Jonno Davies
WHERE TO WATCH
Directed by Michael Gracey, Better Man explores the life and career of singer Robbie Williams through his own eyes.
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