Better Man: How Melbourne theatre star Simon Gleeson co-wrote Robbie Williams biopic with world-class director

Melbourne-born theatre star Simon Gleeson never thought he would be one of the masterminds behind the new Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man.

Simon Gleeson has spent the past six years working with lauded director Michael Gracey on the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man. Picture: Supplied

While best known as one of Australia’s most powerful musical theatre performers, Melbourne’s Simon Gleeson has spent the past six years working with lauded director Michael Gracey on the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.

Gleeson co-wrote the film with Gracey and Oliver Cole after having previously assisted Gracey on the hit big screen musical The Greatest Showman.

Gleeson and Gracey met at Xavier College in Melbourne when they were 15 and remained friends as they moved through different facets of the entertainment business.

Gleeson co-wrote the film with Gracey and Oliver Cole after having previously assisted Gracey on the hit big screen musical The Greatest Showman. Picture: Jesse Grant/Getty

“I have been writing for the longest time, but I just never showed anyone - except Michael,” Gleeson said.

“When I started singing it was the same, as a kid I would wait until everyone had gone out of the house and then I would sing and when someone came back I would stop.

“It was very personal and writing was the same.”

Gleeson won huge acclaim for his role as Jean Valjean in the long running Australian production of Les Miserables and went on to play the role on London’s West End.

“After Les Mis ended Michael asked if I would stop doing long run shows for a minute and come and write for him and I was like, ‘Yes’,” Gleeson said.

“I had been writing projects for him for a little bit and had been developing a few with Oliver previous to Better Man, but it was Better Man when he asked if I would stop and concentrate on that film for a while.

“It ended up being a six year incredible journey.”

Gracey had already done a swath of interviews with Williams prior to Gleeson and Cole joining him in 2019 to start fashioning the script.

Gleeson is a renowned theatre performer. Picture: AAP

“Rob has been incredibly honest throughout his entire life so there was a lot of information out in the world that people knew, so it was about looking for a point of difference and finding where the beating heart of the story lay,” Gleeson said.

“For me it (the heart) is the relationship he (Williams) has with his father, but the biggest is the relationship he has with himself.”

Gleeson said Better Man was an extraordinary project to be a part of.

“I think Melbourne and Australia in general should be so proud of Michael Gracey for being able to drive this enormous project,” he said.

“It is herculean.

“Oliver and I, who got to go on that journey with him, we feel very lucky.”

While Gleeson will soon return to the stage with the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Never Have I Ever, he is continuing to develop projects with Gracey.

“It is all storytelling, whether you are writing it or you are up on stage,” Gleeson said.

“I do think one informs the other which is half the reason why I wanted to get up again and remind myself how terrifying acting is and remind myself how vulnerable you are.”

Originally published as Better Man: How Melbourne theatre star Simon Gleeson co-wrote Robbie Williams biopic with world-class director