Robbie Williams Responds to Oscar Disqualification of ‘The Forbidden Road’

Robbie Williams’ Thoughts on Disqualification

Robbie Williams has expressed his views on the disqualification of “Forbidden Road” from the Oscars 2025 shortlist for Best Original Song – check out his comments below.

• READ MORE: 'A Better Man' Review: Robbie Williams' Film Could Be the Strangest Music Biopic Ever

Academy Awards Announcement

In mid-December, the Academy Awards revealed the Best Original Song shortlist for the upcoming ceremony set for March 3, 2025. Williams’ track “Forbidden Road,” from his new biopic Best Man, was initially included. However, this decision was later reversed, leading to the song’s disqualification due to the inclusion of “material from an existing song that was not originally written” for the film.

As per the selection criteria for this category, shortlisted tracks must contain only lyrics and music that are “original and written specifically for the film.” Unfortunately, “Forbidden Road” incorporated elements from Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name,” which was composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel.

When questioned about this issue on the red carpet at the Golden Globes yesterday (January 6), Williams responded, “Look, rules are rules and you have to follow them. That would be great, but being an introvert, I don’t necessarily want to go to that party. I’ve been through it, I’m on the other side. Everything is fine.”

Read his full response below.

Robbie Williams on becoming #GoldenGlobe “Better Man” nominee and his thoughts on Oscar disqualification for “Forbidden Road” pic.twitter.com/skwiIF8wdu

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) January 6, 2025

Other Nominees and Film Insights

Other tracks on the shortlist include “Never Too Late” by Elton John and Brandi Carlile from Elton John: It’s Never Too Late, as well as “Sick In The Head” by Kneecap from their self-titled biopic. Additional entries are “Piece By Piece” by Pharrell Williams from the Lego movie of the same name, “Compress/Repress” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Contenders, and “Mi Camino” by Selena Gomez from Emilia Perez, among others.

The semi-autobiographical film Best Man was released in theaters on Christmas Day. Directed and co-written by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), it features Williams as a computer-generated monkey and narrates the story of his life and career, spanning from his childhood to his early achievements with the boy band Take That.

Reflecting on the film, Williams told NME: “Tears. And it works. And grief. And healing. And ego. And: “Look what happened to me!” It just depends on which version of me shows up on that particular day – and how much sleep I get.”

“At the moment I just want to take it all into consideration. I want to drink every moment I can because now I am in a place where I can enjoy life. I haven’t been able to enjoy life for so long. And I feel like I’m lucky again and I get another piece of the apple.”

In a three-star review, Best Man, Jordan Bassett wrote for NME: “Best Man starts out like a John Lewis commercial and turns into an R-rated mishmash that somehow does too much while barely touching the career of Robbie Williams. It’s the Rudebox of a movie: some good, some very bad, and all a bit of a mess. However, a musical with monkeys is a big step that no one else would take. You can’t blame chutzpah or ambition. If he returns the stated budget, we will eat $110 million worth of bananas.”

In related news, Robbie Williams has disclosed to NME that he is working on a new album, featuring collaborations with Glenn Hughes and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.

There have been ongoing rumors about this new Robbie Williams album, and back in September, he confirmed to fans that a new record is forthcoming. This upcoming project will mark his 13th solo album and his first full-length release since 2019’s The Christmas Present.