One of Robbie Williams‘ most controversial moments is set to be immortalised in his new biopic.
The singer is played by a rather unlikely figure in the forthcoming film Better Man, which tells the story of his rise to fame in boyband Take That before embarking on a successful solo career.
In a decision that blindsided critics during the film’s premiere in August, a CGI monkey plays Williams in the film and, while many were initially unconvinced by this idea, it’s been receiving high praise from those who’ve seen it.
Early word from the film also reveals that the usage of a CGI monkey means a rather controversial moment from Williams’s career could be depicted in the film: his music video for 2000 song “Rock DJ”.
The video for the pop song shows Williams stripping to capture the attention of a female DJ – but, when she fails to notice him when he’s completely naked, he then tears off his skin and organs until he is nothing but a skeleton.
At the time, the video caused a furore, with the scenes considered too graphic for viewers. They were ultimately cut by many music channels, with the entire video banned in the Dominican Republic due to allegations of Satanism.
When the video was aired on Top of the pops, it is said to have left that week’s musical guests Victoria Beckham and Dane Bowers, not to mention host Sara Cox, “shell shocked”.
This controversy is referenced in Better Man in a scene that early viewers have called one of “the cinematic highlights of the year”.
Director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), who previously teased the biopic would be “out of the ordinary”, employed the same WETA FX artists who worked on the Planet of the Apes franchise to bring the monkey to life.
For the film, Jonno Davies is the one who wore the motion-capture suit – Andy Serkis-style – to capture the monkey’s movement, and he also provides the voice for all of the spoken dialogue. Meanwhile, Williams himself sings on the tracks in the film.
Gracey told Deadline back when the film was first announced: “As for how we represent Robbie in the film, that bit is top secret. I want to do this in a really original way. I just want the audience to… think, ‘I’ve never seen this before’.
It is said that the decision to depict him as a CGI primate is due to the singer’s belief that, when he walks on stage, he is essentially a performing monkey.
Better Man, an Australian-American production, will be released on 26 December. It co-stars Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman and Damon Herriman.
