Robbie Williams may not be familiar to many in the United States, but in his native Britain, he became a huge pop star, performing to adoring crowds and making 14 No. 1 singles.

But unlike other biopics, Williams and director Michael Gracey came up with a novel twist that has Williams being played by a computer-generated monkey.

I’m not kidding. And neither are “Better Man” subject Robbie Williams nor the film’s director Michael Gracey. This rise, fall and very fast 12-step recovery saga of the English singing sensation few Americans know presents Williams as a CG chimpanzee.

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.

Wētā VFX supervisor Luke Millar discusses turning Robbie Williams into a performing monkey for Michael Gracey's biopic.

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,