It should have been a warts-and-all biopic, but sadly Robbie Williams has had to remove some of the warts.
The Take That singer has been forced to rewrite his upcoming biographical movie after he attracted legal threats over his portrayal of his enemies as “a***holes”.
The star told the audience at his Royal Albert Hall gig on Sunday night that he had been involved in wranglings over his film, Better Man.
He said: “You tell all of these stories, and then legally you have pass them to see if lots of people will sue you.
“So I sent the script off to lots of people to see if they would sue me…and it turns out they would.
“At the start of this movie there were at least five villains. There were at least five a***holes in the script.”
But Robbie, 48, joked that “for legal reasons” he now only has one “a***hole” in the film – himself.
Better Man is being filmed in Australia and is described as a “musical fantasy”. Robbie will be played by a CGI monkey – a far cry from the smart tweed suit and glasses in the video for his new single, Lost.
He will star in the film himself and actor Jonno Davies will play him as a youngster.
Sly: Embrace your inner kid
He might be 76, but is not ready to grow up.
“I feel very immature,” the Rocky star says. “I’ve always been averse to the quote ‘act your age’. Or ‘age gracefully’. How do you age gracefully? There’s nothing graceful about you.
“The older I get the more I try to embrace my inner kid.”
Sadly, his body lets him down.
“The only way I really feel my age is because I’ve had so many injuries,” Sly tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve had five back operations, three neck fusions, both shoulders done, knees, ankles, fist — you name it.”
From Rocky to crocky.
No wardrobe malfunctions for Jools
Backstage at Later With Jools Holland sounds fun.
Jools is fortunate not to have suffered a wardrobe malfunction during shows
“There have been no PJ Proby moments,” he tells Radio Times, referring to the infamous trouser splitter.
“But Courtney Love did come into my dressing room when I had no clothes on. Instead of saying, ‘I’ll come back in a minute,’ she just stayed there while I put them on.”
Incredibly awkward.