Better Man, a musical biopic about Robbie Williams, features Jonno Davies portraying the singer. However, what sets Davies apart is that he is represented on screen as a computer-generated chimpanzee. Director Michael Gracey was inspired by conversations he had with Williams where he described himself as a performing monkey. Davies provides the motion capture for Better Man, with the images then being manipulated by Weta FX, the company behind Gollum in Lord of the Rings. The Chesterfield-born actor was cast as the Angels singer about a week before production was due to begin. Acting as Williams’s avatar made it easier for him not to be vain: “It meant I didn’t have to be vain. I wasn’t looking at the monitor going ‘Oh god, the double chin’… It was just about being truthful to the storyline”.
Davies admitted that his fascination with Williams began in 2001 when he watched Williams perform at the Milton Keynes Bowl in the midst of 65,000 fans. “He was just this symbol of cool, and that stuck with me for a long time. He was like the rock star of the day for me”. The now 32-year-old Davies had to perform extensive voice and motion-capture work to portray Williams, but audiences will primarily see him as a computer-generated chimpanzee. This choice of imagery was important, as it helped the audience suspend their disbelief and forget comparisons to the real Robbie. But Davies, who grew up in Milton Keynes and attended Bedford School, said there is a brief moment in the film where his actual face can be seen.
Although he is better known as an actor, Davies has a strong background in performing arts. While attending Bedford School, he took part in musical productions of Bugsy Malone, Fiddler on the Roof and History Boys. He credits the head of drama in his school for encouraging him to think seriously about acting as a profession. He added that if he hadn’t received that support, he probably wouldn’t have pursued his passion. Davies is now returning the favour by passing on his knowledge to students at his old school, saying: “Anything I feel that I can learn, I’d love to pass on to them
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