Frazer Hadfield marks his sensational Feature Film Debut through Michael Gracey's latest offering "BETTER MAN". The film that revolves around global sensation Robbie Williams also shines a light on his best friend 'Nate'; an individual witnessed to be having quite a contrasting arc than the singer. 

Although living a drastically distinct life from his best friend Robbie, Nate is observed to be by Robbie's side at every given moment. 

Portraying the role of "Nate", Hadfield is all set to show the world this intricate character and highlight his journey and life through this movie. 

Frazer Hadfield joins ReVamp to talk about this exciting new chapter of his life, how it was like stepping onto the set of BETTER MAN for the first time, his overall audition process, memorable scenes from the film, his experience meeting his cast mates, sharing an intimate sequence with his co-star Jonno Davies, and many more significant insights pertaining to his professional journey in this latest interview. 

First of all, huge congratulations on your amazing involvement in BETTER MAN!

Before delving into your portrayal, I have to ask you about the man himself. Were you a fan of Robbie Williams or 'Take That' prior to joining the cast or did you get introduced to his music and the sensation that he is after you were offered the role? 

I don't think anyone grows up in the UK without knowing Robbie Williams' music. I was actually chatting with a friend a few weeks ago about the film and he's like, 'Oh, yes, Robbie's got a few good songs.' and I said, 'You will know all the words to every single song in this film' and he went 'No way!' and so I named him the songs and he was like- 'Oh, yeah, I do know the words to every single song in this film' and that's only because he's just a British icon. 

He's a fixture in everyone's lives that grew up at the time I did. And not just his music but also his personality- he's an entertainer, he's a showman, and his media appearances are inescapable. 

When he's on chat shows and his antics at concerts, everyone knows who he is. So, yes, absolutely was a fan. 

And in terms of Take That- my first job out of Drama school, I was in the 'Calendar Girls' Musical which was written by Gary Barlow. I now exclusively work with members of Take That, so that's the rest of my career, I think. (Laughs) 

Kindly walk me through the entire audition process for Nate. Like how did you initially get to know about this project and what made you decide this was something you wanted to pursue? 

At the end of 2021, there was a casting call that went out to play Robbie and I taped for Robbie. It was this very mysterious project directed by Michael Gracey, the director of 'The Greatest Showman' and it was very exciting. 

But there was a curious thing on the audition materials when it came through which said- 'A physical likeness to Robbie is not required' and I was like, 'What's going on there? How are they going to do this?' 

So, a couple of months later, I got an audition through for the character that I play called 'Nate' and I was assured that I would be in the film and would make it into the movie.

Nate was this amazingly written character. He's part of this beautiful friendship with Rob (Robbie Williams), and they have this really kind of tender, key relationship throughout the film.

And so, I auditioned. The team were already doing all the preparations in Melbourne where we filmed. So I had lots of Zooms, really late-night Zooms with the team in Melbourne.

I met Michael (Gracey)- the director, and Simon Gleeson, one of the writers. We worked for hours and hours on, talked about Nate and played the scenes out. Then I got the call and flew out to Australia and was there for five months.

And do you remember your own first impressions of your character Nate? Like how would you describe him to the people who are about to watch this film? 

Nate is Robbie's best friend who isn't involved in showbiz at all. They grew up together and Nate sticks by Rob's side through thick and thin.

And I guess that what I noticed is that Nate is sort of the counterpoint to Rob in the story. 

They both grew up in the same place, doing the same things in Stoke-on-Trent. And Robbie gets this amazing opportunity and chases his dream. And all these incredible things happen to him. 

Nate stays where he is. Nate doesn't follow his dream. He stays where he is and he builds a life for himself in Stoke. And so I guess Nate is a really good indication of what Rob's life would have been like if he hadn't have jumped at that chance and followed his dream and joined 'Take That'.

So, it's really interesting because there are these two people. I think the beautiful stuff in mine and Rob's storyline comes when they're two people who know each other so well but have no understanding of what each other are going through. 

And they're constantly just missing each other and trying to communicate but they can't since it's like they're speaking different languages so that's kind of heartbreaking. 

But Nate's always there. Nate's always there for Rob. And yes, that loyalty was something that I thought was a really lovely characteristic to sort of jump into and get to embody.

Pertaining to your performance, what was your overall creative process like? Did you have any such acting rituals that helped you immerse yourself into the mentality of your character?

I guess that the big thing to say is that most of the characters in the film are based on a real person. Nate is an anomaly in that. He isn't based on a single person.

He's sort of an amalgamation of a bunch of Rob's friends. So, in that sense, I didn't have lots of video footage to go and study. I didn't have someone to sit down with and chat and get to know and study their mannerisms. 

So, I didn't get that part of the process, which was what everyone else seemed to be doing. But it was incredibly freeing for me. I got to create this character from the ground up. I wasn't bound by what this person looked like, what they think, what they do. This was mine to craft, create, and imagine.

And Michael Gracey was so encouraging of that. He wanted me to bring myself to the role. And what that did was- it gave the scenes that I have with Rob; with Jonno Davies who plays Robbie feel very alive, and very spontaneous. 

So, yes, we did do lots of preparation, and lots of rehearsal. That's how Michael likes to work. He runs his rehearsal room like a theater rehearsal room; it's very actor-led which is a real privilege to be a part of.

Once we got on set, they built these incredible sets in Melbourne. It's such a huge scale so Jonno (Davies) and myself walked onto the set and we just got to play. 

Everything was real; we got to interact with everything and mess around so it's that sort of spontaneity, that sense of the unexpected and just playing with each other which I think makes our arc so special. 

And do you remember your first day on set as well as your experience meeting the wonderful cast and crew of this project for the first time? 

I actually met most people quite a long time before. We had six weeks of rehearsal before we started shooting, which was really nice because then when you get to the first day, it's sort of like a family. 

You know everyone. You've not got those first-day nerves in the same way. You're not worried about making these new relationships because you know everyone already, which is great. And so that was quite calming. 

In terms of my first day on set- the interesting thing about my character was that it's this incredibly spectacular film with all these huge, dazzling musical sequences and my character doesn't really appear in those because I'm from a different world. So, all the stuff that I do is quite grounded. 

Like I meet Rob in his kitchen, or we're in a park so it's really kind of nice domestic, intimate stuff. So, I'm going on my first day on set. I believe I was doing a really lovely scene in my small flat with my daughter. 

So, that's what I'm expecting but I come on to set the day earlier to just sort of say hello to people. The nice thing about this job was everyone came onto the set to watch each other work, and to just support each other.

So, I was on set the day before; my first day stepping onto the soundstage in Melbourne. And they had built the Royal Albert Hall in one of the soundstages. And when I said they built the Royal Albert Hall, they did. They built it.

I've been in the Royal Albert Hall many times. And I walked through that door in Melbourne and it was there. They'd built it. I mean, I was absolutely blown away by the scale. I believe that's when I realised, this is a big old film. There are a lot of people working very hard on this to make this absolutely spectacular. 

Then I watched my pals do amazing work, and went home. And the next day, I came in and I was sat in my pokey, little flat, and doing a lovely, intimate scene that felt a million miles away from the Royal Albert Hall. 

I think that's what's great about this film. It's not afraid to be both things. It's not afraid to be spectacular, visually amazing and to be a blockbuster but at the same time, also do those really affecting, intimate, real things as well. It holds both at the same time and it really works so I believe that's one of the most impressive things about it.

You guys also just wrapped up your UK premiere like a couple of days ago. That's so amazing. So, how was that entire experience like? 

I guess it's bittersweet. I mean it's incredibly exciting that we're getting to introduce this film into the world but I started working on this at the very beginning of 2022 and have been working on it fairly regularly since then.

And on the other hand, it's sad that this feels like the end. I mean, I won't film any more scenes or do any more work on the film. Although, I get to do the fun stuff now. I get to show people the film. Butit's sad to be saying goodbye to this creative process because it was so incredibly fulfilling. 

But yes, embracing the excitement of the premieres and showing people the film. I mean, it was an incredible night.
It was great to connect with everyone again. Great to see the fans that came out. And Robbie put on a concert for us afterwards, which was amazing. He sang his new song from the film, 'Forbidden Road', which I think is really beautiful.

I think everyone expected Robbie to do a big, upbeat pop song at the end of this film, but he's chosen to write a really reflective, lovely ballad that I think you need after the film.

You need a hug after the film, and I think that song gives you a hug. So, he performed that at the after-party, and then everyone wanted more, so he did a full set.

He played all his big hits. It was such a wonderful celebration, and getting to experience that acclaim with all my friends and all the people who have worked so hard on this film was wonderful.

This project excitingly also marks your feature film debut and I mean what a way to make this kind of debut. So, now that we're so close to the movie releasing, how is this anticipation period going for you knowing that people are finally about to witness your performance on the big screens? 

As I said, we started filming this in 2022, so it's a long time coming. The anticipation had a long time to build. It's pretty surreal seeing your face on a big screen- I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that.

But I'm just really proud of the film and of what we've done. So, I'm not worried about how this is going to be received. Because I know that it's a brilliant film and I think you can't help but fall in love with it when you watch it.

I mean, of course, there's anticipation and I'm excited about what comes next. That's what it always feels like after I finish a project; the 'What's Next?' is very exciting because it could be anything, you know? 

It's honestly more excitement than anything. I just can't wait for people to see the film and fall in love with it.

How has this route been like for you now that you have successfully experienced and shifted from acting on-stage to acting in front of the cameras for both a show and a feature film?

Would you say you witnessed any differences from working on Stage as compared to from that in Film and Television? 

There's obviously technical differences but I think it's just about telling stories. It's about bringing truth to the character that you're playing and I don't think that changes whether you're on stage or in front of a camera.

And like I said, Michael Gracey ran this production, especially in the rehearsal process, a bit like a theatre production. I had that freedom to walk where I wanted and the camera would follow me. And maybe I'd say my lines differently this time, and it felt very live, almost quite theatrical.

I mean, the production is quite theatrical in itself. But the difference is that I've grown. I'm constantly developing as an actor, as I have new life experiences. But I'd love to get back on the stage as well. It's all up for grabs.

I love working on stage, but I love working on screen as well. I think at the end of the day, it's just storytelling. And as long as I've got a good character and a good story to tell, I'm happy.

I know you probably can't reveal too much about the film but is there any memorable sequence you loved shooting so much that you absolutely can't wait for everyone to watch and get their reactions on? 

There are some really memorable scenes in the film that I'm excited for everyone to watch that I was actually not a part of. And that's really exciting for me, because I get to watch them as an audience member. I was there when they filmed them.

There's a particularly amazing sequence filmed on Regent Street, which is in London, which is absolutely incredible. Right at the other end of the scale, my character has a beautiful scene towards the end of the film with Rob, where we're trying to communicate with each other. And we've just moved so far apart in our lives that we just keep missing each other. 

It's a beautifully written scene. I remember when we filmed that scene, it just felt absolutely electric. I mean Jonno Davies and I were two lads- a really long way from home; both in the middle of this incredible experience on this major film set working with a visionary director that is Michael Gracey. We were given the license to let rip. 

And it felt amazing at the time. In terms of screen work, you sort of never know what the end product's going to be like. But it felt so amazing and I'm so glad that in the final edit, it looks every bit as amazing as it felt.

I believe it's a really beautiful and heartbreaking moment in the film so I'm excited for people to see that.

Ending Note:- What's next for you, Frazer? Besides your amazing performance in BETTER MAN, is there anything else you're currently working on that you'd like to tell us or your fans about?

I've been filming this year. I've got more projects in the pipeline. It's all very exciting stuff. 

But as is often the case with these things, I actually can't talk about them at the moment. I can't share the details yet. But, yes, watch this space because there are some exciting things coming.