Robbie Williams has explained why he didn’t feel the need to talk to former Take That band member and rival Gary Barlow during the making of his new Netflix documentary.
The “Angels” and “Rock DJ” singer is the subject of a new four-part series in which he looks back on archive footage of his life, and offers his commentary on events including the dissolution of Take That, his short-lived relationship with Geri Halliwell and his struggles with mental health.
In episode one of the documentary, Williams details his fractured relationship with Barlow during his time in the hugely successful boyband when the pair were in their late teens.
The singer described being in Take That as “a pressure cooker” and said that, on top of the intensity that came with being one of the most famous people in the country, he also had to deal with “an assurance about Gaz and his ability mixed with a coldness”.
Williams details his fractured relationship with Barlow— (Netflix)
Williams said in the documentary: “It seemed like there was one person being managed in Take That, and it was Gary Barlow. It was all geared around him and, as young person, I would have been jealous of that. I suppose a lot of me resented him.”
Speaking about the docuseries ahead of its release, The Indepedent asked Williams if he had consulted with Barlow about the docuseries ahead of, during or after filming.
“No, because legally I didn’t have to,” he replied. However, he said he previously had chats with Barlow about the planned biopic on Williams’s life, titled Better Man.
“I’ve had to have chats there, yeah, and they are uncomfortable,” he told The Independent, adding: “The chats have been uncomfortable. Needless to say, when the biopic was being [discussed], there were several c***s in that film. Now there’s only one – it’s me.”
Williams also opened up about the “trauma” he experienced reliving footage of his younger self.
“As humans, nobody likes looking at photographs of themselves and no one likes hearing their own voice, so if you multiply that by watching yourself suffer with mental illness, breakdowns, alcoholism, depression, [and] agoraphobia, you’re in a tortuous headlock where you’re forced to watch the car crash in slo-mo,” the singer said, wryly adding: “It’s all right – it’s gonna work out for me.”
Robbie Williams is available to stream on Netflix now.
