Robbie Williams is a “professional attention seeker”.
Robbie Williams craves attention
The 50-year-old pop star has opened up about his decision to bring his life to the big screen in a biopic called ‘Better Man’ – in which he’s played by a CGI chimp – and revealed he wanted to make the movie to make sure everyone knows he’s “still here”.
He told the Guardian newspaper: “I am a professional attention seeker. Without attention I cease to exist. Professionally I need to do this.
“Because this is my job. This is how you advertise that you’re still here. My job, fortunately or unfortunately, revolves around eyes being on you.”
In the interview, he went on to talk about the dark side of fame and how he suffered with mental health issues prior to quitting boyband Take That back in 1995 – and Robbie insists no one should be “held accountable” for his issues because there was less understand back in the day.
He explained: “What we didn’t know back then I don’t think we can be held accountable for. And we didn’t understand mental illness, and we didn’t understand breakdowns, and the people that were going through them – me – didn’t know they were having one.
“I didn’t know I was depressed. How could I? The people that are around you need a bit of grace.”
It comes after ‘Better Man’ director Michael Gracey revealed the movie lost “millions of dollars” because their filming permits were pulled in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Gracey had arranged to have London’s Regent Street closed down for four nights so he could film an elaborate musical number for ‘Better Man’ but permission was rescinded due to an official period of mourning after the monarch passed away in September 2023 and insurers refused to cover the costs.
He told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “On the Friday we were feeling very buoyant, because the first night of filming was Sunday night, and we got a call from the Crown Estate to tell us that the queen had just died and we wouldn’t be shooting because there’s 10 days of mourning.
“So we lost all of the money. There’s no insurance for the death of the queen.
“People will say to you: No, there is, because it’s force majeure, and you say; No, it’s not. It’s civil authority that shuts you down with the death of the queen, and after COVID, civil authority was capped at 250 grand payouts.
“So we lost millions of dollars, and it took another five months to get back on that street, and we had to raise the money again. And every time I watch it, I think people have no idea how close we came to that not being in the film.”