If it’s true that your age freezes the day you become famous, then the British pop star Robbie Williams is stuck at 16. So he says near the end of “Better Man," the biopic he produced. “I’m unevolved," he confesses. No kidding — throughout the entire film, Williams is portrayed as an ape.

Robbie Williams being portrayed as a CGI ape in Better Man could have been a simple gimmick, but it actually has thematic meaning within the story.

For the past two hours, they’d watched the real-life story of Robbie Williams — a British pop singer who’s sold over 75 million records — acted out by a CGI monkey. Perhaps my fellow moviegoers needed further confirmation that the star of Better Man was,

I came out of the womb with jazz hands,” pop star Robbie Williams recounts in “Better Man,” his new biopic. Williams became the hugest of stars in his native Britain, making 14 No. 1 singles and performing to screaming crowds (though he never gained traction in the United States.

Yes, as we're sure you already know, Williams is portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee in the new movie. As director and co-writer Michael Gracey has explained, the decision was because the star had constantly compared himself to a 'performing monkey' during his career.

Maybe he would, I don’t know.” Robbie Williams poses for photographers upon arrival at the European premiere for the film 'Better Man' on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in London. Credit: AP/Scott A Garfitt “Maybe this film moves the needle for me,