“Robbie’s really let us see the dark moments from his past, which makes the redemption all the more powerful”: Frazer Hadfield on Better Man

The music biopic has perhaps become an incidentally rather reviled genre. That same old obsession time and time again proving the foil to any actor’s attempt to create a verisimilitude of one of our music greats: if any incarnation isn’t an exact replica in voice, appearance and mannerism, nothing much else lands about the movie. It’s the ultimate distraction.

In, then, to this controversial space, walks – or rather swaggers – Better Man. An entirely off-the-wall concept on paper, and to all logic, one that shouldn’t work at all. It’s a music biopic, about Robbie Williams. But Robbie is played by a chimpanzee. For a dream sequence? You may ask. For a fleeting surreal metaphorical moment, to demonstrate how we treat our most beloved performers, like none other than performing monkeys? The answer is no, for the whole damn movie.

But, against all odds, it just works? By taking away the need for actor Jonno Davies to look like Robbie, his performance instead translated seamlessly into top-notch CGI, he is free to focus on capturing the singer’s signature wit, eccentricity and contagious energy. Add into this formula the same creative vision that brought The Greatest Showman to life with breathtaking, all-singing, all-dancing set pieces – courtesy of director Michael Gracey – and a story that isn’t afraid to delve into the dark side of fame and drug addiction, as well as its blistering highs, and you have a supremely affecting and immersive movie.

For any British Millennial, it’s the ultimate nostalgia trip, taking us through the music icon’s humble beginnings pre-Take That, through his solo career and private life ups and downs, all threaded together with pop banger after pop banger. And while it’s an incredibly personal and revealing narrative charting a key part of Robbie’s life, there are also broader themes touched upon about the cost of creativity and fame, particularly when found at a young age, one’s search for validation and self-acceptance and the often rocky road to redemption.

Ahead of the movie landing in cinemas, we had the chance to speak with Frazer Hadfield who plays best friend Nate, a composite of Williams’s real-life friends. He shared what it was like taking on a role not based on one specific person but informed by people and events from the singer’s life. He also spoke about how he worked opposite Davies on both the light-hearted and more hard-hitting scenes, a process that was surprisingly smooth despite the motion capture technology, made all the more easy by the direction of Gracey. Furthermore, he reflected on what people might take away from watching the film about how we see fame and celebrity culture today, and how the role fits in with his wider career.

Sarah Bradbury
Image: Teddy Cavendish

Better Man is released nationwide on 26^th December 2024.

Watch the trailer for Better Man here: