Behind the 'Better Man': Robbie Williams on life, loss, and mental health

English singer and songwriter Robbie Williams, famous for Angels and Millennium, is a professional attention seeker, at least that is what he tells the media. It is what a career in the creative industry entails — having the eyes on you. And if not, then you're not doing your job very well.

As someone who is really ambitious, Robbie has not stopped wanting or needing attention. In 2023, Robbie found the spotlight through a Netflix documentary on him. And now, as we get closer to 2025, a new biopic on the singer is here. Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), portrays the rise, fall, and resurgence of the British pop superstar.

Ahead of the film's release in the UAE, we caught Robbie at the red carpet of the UAE premiere and a roundtable in Dubai Mall's Reel Cinemas on December 29. He opens up about his deeply personal journey as captured in Better Man, his role in the film, and how physical fitness, too, plays an important role in one's mental wellbeing.

An Emotional Journey

Watching one’s life unfold on screen is no ordinary experience, and for Robbie, it has been a mix of heartbreak and healing. Having watched it 11 times, at screenings and premieres, now, Robbie is in a place where he has completely made peace with everything on screen and enjoy being with people experiencing it for the first time.

"At the start, though, it was different," he shares. "Watching scenes on a computer — the death of my grandma, my addiction, my relationship with my father — it broke me. But now, I see it as a film, a very exciting film, and a fortuitous moment in my life.”

The film’s raw portrayal of his struggles with addiction, personal loss, and fractured relationships forced Robbie to confront parts of his past he might have preferred to keep buried. Yet, it’s this honesty that makes Better Man so impactful.

But did he learn something new about himself? "No," he says, "but I learned that I’m a different person. It was very dark, but I knew that. I’m in a different part of the journey now. I’m at the other side, thank God.”

A Monkey’s Tale

One of the film’s intriguing elements is Robbie being portrayed as a chimpanzee while everyone around him are shown as humans, a decision that captures his unique personality.

“I’d like to see myself as a lion, but I’m not. I’m cheeky, silly, irreverent, and naughty,” he explains. “I’m not alpha or beta—I’m a monkey. When Michael Gracey asked me about my spirit animal, I first said lion, trying to find some self-worth. He questioned that. So I said, ‘Monkey?’ He agreed. There’s vulnerability in monkeys, and they’re more human than humans in many ways.”

Robbie’s faith in Gracey’s vision for the film was unwavering.

“I just got out of the way of Michael. He is a genius, and you’ve got to let him do what he’s going to do. So I didn’t have any notes,” he admits. “I didn’t say, ‘Hey, you can’t do that.’ I said, ‘Leave more in, make it more gory, make it more real, make it more authentic,’ and he did exactly that.”

Battling Inner Demons

A recurring theme in Robbie’s life and the film is his battle with depression. While he’s made tremendous strides, the journey continues.

“I’ve been really good for quite a long time, and now I trust that tomorrow will be as good as today,” he says. “But I did have a dark moment five days ago — worrying about the film, back in a place of self-loathing, anxiety, and dread. It was all expectation-based and fear-based, as depression often is. But it passed. For me, it’s a lifelong battle.”

Robbie credits his family, a stable home life, and medication for helping him stay grounded. Robbie and his wife Ayda Field are proud parents to four children.

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