“The things that would destroy me have also made me the most successful; touch the fire, push when it says pull, and see if I can live.” That’s a quote from the new documentary series, “Robbie Williams,” about, you guessed it, global pop star Robbie Williams. Now nearly 50 years old, Williams is famous for being a member of the U.K. boy band Take That. His own success as a solo artist would eventually outshine them greatly, but Williams is also famous for perhaps being one of the biggest global pop stars in the world who was never able to crack into mainstream Top 40 U.S. success despite multiple, multiple attempts from his record labels to do so—something that must have frustrated the artist beyond belief (given that seemingly hundreds of articles dedicated to this idea—Robbie Williams, huge global pop star, why can’t he make it in America—were written over the years).
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This new Netflix doc series, a four-part documentary on Williams’ life—yes, four parts, he’s that big of a star with 30 years of story to tell— is directed by Emmy and BAFTA-nominated director Joe Pearlman (“Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now,” “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts:). and is produced by Ridley Scott’s company, Ridley Scott Associates. Acclaimed documentarian and director Asif Kapadia (“Diego Maradona,” the Amy Winehouse doc “Amy“) is also an executive producer.
But wisely, it doesn’t really seem to focus on the fact that Williams could never crack into the American pop mainstream, but rather, just how the rigors of the spotlight and fame nearly broke him in half and ruined his mental health (Williams is so big globally, that “The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey is directing large-scale feature film biopic, called. “Better Man” based on the singer’s life).
.Williams talks about having a “nervous breakdown” on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people—Williams typically sold out Wembley Stadium in the U.K. dozens of times, a feat generally reserved for only the biggest bands in the world. Williams is/was, but yes, strangely enough, the U.S. eluded him, though he seems to have made peace with that.
Here’s the official synopsis:
ROBBIE WILLIAMS… A four-part documentary series that features up to 30 years of never-before-seen archive footage behind the star, coming only to Netflix Nov 8. Directed by EMMY and BAFTA nominated Joe Pearlman, produced by Ridley Scott Associates and executive produced by Academy Award, BAFTA, and Grammy-winning director Asif Kapadia.
“Robbie Williams” arrives on Netflix on November 8. Watch the first trailer below.
