Robbie Williams Responds to Oscars Disqualification: ‘It’s All Good’

Robbie Williams has brushed off the Oscars’ decision to boot his Better Man track “Forbidden Road” from the shortlist for Best Original Song.

“Forbidden Road,” which Williams penned for his new primate-infused biopic, was disqualified from Oscar contention late last month after the Music Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it “incorporates material from an existing song that was not written” for Better Man. The Best Original Song category has strict eligibility rules stating a track must contain words and music specifically written for a motion picture.

Speaking with a Deadline reporter on the red carpet for the Golden Globes this weekend, the pop star shrugged off the decision. 

“Listen, the rules is the rules, and you have to go by them,” a magnanimous Williams said, before quipping: “And, it would have been nice — but also, as an introvert, it’s another party I don’t have to go to.” 

He then added: “I went through it, I’m on the other side, it’s all good.”

Though it was not mentioned in the original letter sent out by the Academy’s music branch, a rep confirmed that “Forbidden Road” was disqualified over its similarities to “I Got a Name,” a 1973 Jim Croce song penned by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, which served as the theme for the film The Last American Hero. Fox also happens to be one of the three governors for the Academy’s music branch.

Despite losing out on a chance at an Oscar, “Forbidden Road” held onto its nomination for Best Original Song at the Globes this past weekend (though it did lose out to “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez). As for Better Man, it opened in select theaters on Christmas, while a wide release is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2025. Directed by Michael Gracey, the movie approaches the standard pop star biopic with a peculiar choice, replacing Williams with a CGI-animated chimpanzee. (Williams still voices his primate self in the film.)