When Robbie Wiliams was in discussions about making a biopic of his rollercoaster life, the topic turned to who would play the lead role. What the pop superstar wasn't expecting, however, was that he would end up being depicted as a monkey.
But while Robbie was initially taken aback by the unusual concept, it didn't take long to persuade him that it was a great idea.
© Alamy"He's a monkey, he's in a boy band, he's a solo artist. But I also think that it's a very, very human story about the human condition, and the lack of self-worth and the insecurities and the wanting to be loved and the wanting to be seen and wanting to be heard.
"So, I think it's a story for all of us, because we are human, and we want to be loved just like everybody else does," Robbie says of the fantasy musical Better Man, which takes an unflinching look at the ups and downs of his life from his absent father, through his joining Take That at 16 - the youngest member of the band - to his solo fame and subsequent spirals into alcoholism, substance abuse, mental illness, obesity and self-esteem issues, as well as his heartbreak when his former girlfriend Nicole Appleton was pressured into aborting their baby.
© GettyThe film, which is released on Boxing Day and stars Gavin and Stacey actress Alison Steadman and League of Gentleman's Steve Pemberton, also brutally outlines how All Saints star Nicole terminated her pregnancy while the couple were dating in the 1990s – something she revealed in her 2002 autobiography. Nicole, 49 and now a mother-of-two, was consulted on the script and invited to an early screening.
"The most difficult bit is watching Nicole and what we went through, because she was instructed to get rid of our baby," Robbie says.
© Getty"And that bit in the film, not only that bit, but also absolutely everybody else, I can go: 'Hey, you did a wrong thing, and that's the reason you're going under the bus. You know?' But with Nic, I did the wrong thing. It wasn't that bit, wasn't the abortion - I didn't make her do that - but I was a f****ng awful boyfriend, like, really awful, and I was in the height of my addiction and alcoholism. And it breaks my heart every time I watch it, because she's a complete angel, and there is still shame attached to who I was then."
© GettyA clearly emotional Robbie continues: "As soon as she left the screening, I got straight on the phone with her and FaceTimed her. And we both wept. And then we couldn't stop weeping. And then in between weeping, the only thing that we could say to each other, which was funny, was 'triggered'. And then back to crying again. So, I'm looking forward to giving her a hug at the premiere."
To read the full interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
