Robbie Williams filled with ‘shame’ over ‘difficult’ scene with ex-Nicole Appleton in new biopic
Robbie Williams has reflected on the most 'difficult' scene in his upcoming biopic, which involves one of his former girlfriends, Nicole Appleton.
The film, titled Better Man, will look at the British singer's rise to stardom as part of boyband Take That in the 1990s.
Back in October, the first trailer for the biopic dropped, and fans were left confused to find out that Williams was being played by a CGI ape, with motion capture being carried out by British actor Jonno Davies.
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The decision to portray the singer as a monkey was all up to director and writer Michael Gracey, however, who said that he asked Williams, 'if you were an animal how would you see yourself?'.
Saying that he would be 'dragged up on stage to perform like a monkey', that's what they've done for the film, standing out from previous biopics in the past few years.
However, this doesn't mean that the more serious topics are avoided, as the difficult experiences that Williams went through in his life are still explored - despite the unorthodox approach.
One of these difficult topics is brought on in a scene that the artist says he has difficulty rewatching, revealing that it made him and his ex-girlfriend Appleton 'weep'.
From 1997 to 1999, Williams and Appleton were in a relationship, which then led to the two becoming engaged, before the Canadian singer became pregnant.
Sadly though, the baby was aborted after receiving pressure from the record label of the girlband she was in at the time, All Saints - an emotional event which Appleton revealed in her 2002 autobiography, Together, and also is shown in the film.
“I couldn’t believe what I had done. I wanted to kill myself. Afterwards, everyone pretended it hadn’t happened.” Appleton wrote in her autobiography.
Referencing the scene, Williams further explained to Hello: “The most difficult bit is watching Nicole and what we went through, because she was instructed to get rid of our baby.”
But that wasn't all, as the 'Angels' singer went on: “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.”
Williams admitted that it 'breaks my heart' every time he watches it, describing Appleton as a 'complete angel', adding: "There is still shame attached to who I was then.”
He further recalled that after she'd left the screening of the film with her sister, Natalie, he called Appleton and FaceTimed her, admitting: "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.”
He added that he is looking forward to 'giving her a hug' at the premiere.
According to The Sun, the singer said both he and Appleton approved of Better Man's script, and in a video shot by former This Morning host, Holly Willoughby, Williams praised Appleton for being 'f**king brave' at the film's premiere for 'allowing us to tell that bit of the story', as per The Independent.
Better Man will be released on Boxing Day.
Topics: Robbie Williams, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity, Film
Joshua Nair