Robbie Williams acknowledges his involvement in the more troubling periods of his life. His unique biopic, *Better Man*, candidly addresses his struggles with addiction and abuse.

“There were numerous antagonists in this film until legal constraints limited them,” Williams remarked about the Paramount Pictures release. “Now, the sole antagonist is me, and I’m perfectly fine with being the primary villain.”

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The singer expressed that his first manager had it easy, and noted that earlier versions of the script favored him in his conflict with Take That bandmate Gary Barlow.

“In the script, I expressed my thoughts and feelings as I did back then,” Williams shared. “When we sent him the script, Gary called me and said, ‘Rob, I seem to come off worse than Darth Vader in the first Star Wars.’”

Williams agreed to soften Barlow’s depiction in the film. He was frank about his treatment of girlfriend Nicole Appleton, a member of the girl group All Saints.

“She didn’t deserve the version of me she encountered,” he admitted. “I feel a deep shame for not representing myself better because she deserves the best, and I didn’t provide that.”

Appleton and Williams shared an emotional FaceTime conversation after she viewed the film. Williams is hesitant about allowing his father to see it, as his father left the family when Williams was young.

“I don’t want him to see it,” he stated. “I’ve worked hard on myself; I’ve gone through rehab and therapy. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 24 years and learned how to heal. Brits often don’t do that. My dad hasn’t needed to, and we’ve never had this discussion.”

Williams attributes his openness about his mistakes to neurodivergence, which he addressed in a Netflix documentary. He shares his experiences candidly in his biopic and on Deadline’s stage.

“I don’t pick up on the cues that tell others, ‘I shouldn’t share this,’” Williams explained. “I understand social cues, but I tend to be very open. If I have hemorrhoids, I might just say, ‘Here are my hemorrhoids,’ while others might think, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t share that.’ I don’t see the issue.”

Check back Monday for the panel video.

The presenting sponsor for this year’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles is United for Business. Other sponsors include Eyeptizer Eyewear, Final Draft + ScreenCraft, with partners such as Four Seasons Maui, 11 Ravens, and Robina Benson Design House.

 

Person: Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Nicole Appleton, Kevin Costner, Brian Tyree Henry, Mikey Madison, Luca Guadagnino, Maisy Stella, Pamela Anderson, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Lupita Nyong’o

Company Names: Paramount Pictures, Netflix

Titles: Better Man, Star Wars, All Saints

Disclaimer: This article has been auto-generated from a syndicated RSS feed and has not been edited by Vitrina staff. It is provided solely for informational purposes on a non-commercial basis.