Monkeying with Superstardom: Why 'Straight Gay Man' Robbie Williams Couldn't Pass Up 'Better Man'

"So do you love me now?
Or did I let you down?
You said you wanted all my secrets
So I showed you all my demons"
– From "Forbidden Road," song from "Better Man"

"That's me. I'm a straight gay man!"
– From a chat with artist Robbie Williams

Brit pop superstar Robbie Williams, no stranger to controversy, daring, and sheer nerve, has taken another bold leap, under the masterful direction of Michael Gracey ("The Greatest Showman"), with the wildly original, batshit crazy, strangely moving new film "Better Man."

Based on the topsy-turvy-topsy-again (mix and repeat) life of the singer/songwriter, the madly extravagant, yet deeply personal, movie follows Williams from his childhood to being selected as one of five teens in the chart-busting boyband Take That to his astonishing solo career. Along the way he becomes addicted to booze, drugs, and fame. He's simultaneously giddy and anxiety-ridden on stage. He believes in himself too much, and... not enough.

Williams' Golden-Globe-nominated song, "Forbidden Road," co-penned with Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek, made the Oscar shortlist last month, but was then disqualified for allegedly appropriating elements from Jim Croce's "I Got a Name."

"Better Man" is a stunning, genre-blending visual treat that takes audiences on that meteoric high and then sucker punches them when the subject begins to crash and burn, only – like a glorious Phoenix – to rise again into the stratosphere, though forever having that cloud of self-doubt and insecurity hanging over him. Adding to the mania, Williams is portrayed as a CGI monkey throughout the film!

The recent 4-part Netflix docu-series "Robbie Williams," also probes the artist's turbulent life.

As a solo artist, Williams has had seven UK #1 singles, 14 of his 15 studio albums reached #1 in the UK, and he's broken records with tour ticket sales. He's the recipient of 18 Brit Awards, among many other accolades. The magnitude of his success all over the world is staggering – oddly, except in Japan and the U.S.

Williams is currently in the middle of a worldwide tour. Cities and dates at this website.

EDGE had the pleasure of a chat with the singular artist about the new film.

EDGE: On my very first trip to London, in 2001, I was introduced to your music. There was something about your honesty, about how you always gave it your all – and still do – that really spoke to me.

Robbie Williams: Well, first of all, thank you very much. I am genuinely grateful that what I was beaming out, you picked up – as a very sensitive individual who needs people to recognize them and tell them they exist... When you say things like that, it touches me on a level that I'm very grateful for.

EDGE: Watching this batshit, crazy, brilliant biopic, it made me want to see you in an original film musical. Why hasn't that happened yet? And will it?

Robbie Williams: An original film musical. There are so many ideas that have yet to transpire, and yet to happen, and I suppose that I'm at the behest of the universe and people. I've got so many ideas of what I want to do that exist outside of the entertainment industry, because I kind of feel as though I've completed music, and now my attention is elsewhere. But that being said, I'm open to any idea, and who knows what this film is going to trigger for people, and who knows what this film is going to mean for me going forward. If one of those ideas is an original musical, then I am totally in.

EDGE: Let's discuss "Better Man," and how this wild collaboration with Michael Gracey first came about.

Robbie Williams: I became friends with Michael Gracey having met him at a party. My wife's best friend's father is Michael Gracey's lawyer... I met Michael, and we got on straight away, hit it off like a house on fire. And one thing led to another. The other thing that happened was that he asked me if I wanted to do a biopic about my life. And I am a professional attention seeker, and this was an opportunity too good to pass up. And here I am.