Robbie Williams Draws Parallels to Eminem from “8 Mile” in His Creative Process for “Better Man”

Robbie Williams on His New Biopic

Robbie Williams shares insights from his experience while creating the new biopic Best Man, mentioning that he likened himself to Eminem in 8 Mile.

• READ MORE: Robbie Williams and Director Michael Gracey on Bananas, ‘The Best Man’ Biopic With CGI Monkey: ‘It’s Healing’

About the Film

The semi-autobiographical film debuted in theaters just before Christmas. Directed and co-written by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), it features the singer as a computer-generated monkey and narrates his life journey and career, beginning from his childhood to his initial fame with the boy band Take That.

In a recent interview following the film’s release, Williams reflects on the filmmaking process, particularly his challenges in perfecting the soundtrack.

The singer expressed that he felt like Eminem while working on the project, referring to the rapper’s iconic struggle to secure “Lose Yourself” for the 2002 8 Mile soundtrack.

“I sent these songs and thought: ‘This is just cool.’ It’s fireworks. You’re wrong,” he explained. Collider. “I heard this story about ‘Lose Yourself’ in 8 Mile and how the director sent it back and Eminem was right.

“I was like, ‘I’m Eminem at the moment.’ It’s a song and you’re wrong.”

While it remains unclear which tracks Williams struggled to incorporate into the biopic, he ultimately came to understand why Gracey selected the songs that were included in the final cut.

Reflecting on his impression of the completed film, Williams stated: “I said, ‘I totally understand why those songs weren’t chosen, and I completely see what you wanted.’ What I was sending was not a hug. What I sent was not reassuring. What I sent did not heal.”

Additionally, Best Man premiered in theaters, and Williams also released both physical and digital editions of the film’s soundtrack, which features a new single titled “Forbidden Road.”

Reviews and Future Projects

In a three-star review, NME remarked: “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 bold step that no one else would take. You can’t fault chutzpah or ambition. If he recoups the stated budget, we will consume $110 million worth of bananas.”

In other news, Robbie Williams recently revealed to NME that he is working on a new album that will feature collaborations with Glenn Hughes and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.

Rumors regarding a new Robbie Williams album have been circulating for some time, and back in September, the artist informed fans that a new record was on the horizon. When it arrives, it will be his 13th solo album and the first full-length release since 2019’s The Christmas Present.