Behind Better Man: Robbie Williams on becoming the entertainer he was born to be

How the British pop icon turned his struggles into a triumphant story of resilience, as portrayed in his biopic, directed by Michael Gracey

- Husain Rizvi

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.