Robbie Williams and authenticity

This article is published in issue 50 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until 10 December 2024.

«You have to see this movie. It’s beautiful and unexpected.” Alison Ward Frank is a Condé Nast veteran: works for Vanity Fair in New York since the legendary Graydon Carter was at the helm of the newspaper. For the magazine she has always taken care of relations with celebrities and today she heads all the group’s publications as coordinator of contacts, covers and special services linked to international stars. She can be quite tough, she is a great professional and above all she is a valid ally. He never wastes too many words on a production, on a phenomenon or on the performance of an actor. But when I asked her what she thought of the film
Robbie Williams, I didn’t expect him to respond to me with such enthusiasm.

I don’t want to reveal much about this curious feature film, Better Manand I prefer you to discover some clues from the interview that the pop star gave to Valentina Colosimo. The thing, however, that I would like to talk to you about is its authenticity, that is, the respect that the artist has always had for his being against the current, over the top and perhaps far from other people’s expectations, factors that have often forced him to high and lows in his career.

In the number of Vanity Fair on newsstands from today you will find many ideas, some points of view and other interviews that narrate the widespread desire for authenticity. This is a request that is made to everyone: politicians, celebrities, journalists and newspapers, and those who work on social media. Authenticity is the art of being yourself, especially in work, without needing to lie to achieve success or your target audience.

In recent years, the price that many progressives have paid when they have not proved faithful to the values ​​and rights for which they fought are also linked to the concept of authenticity. Many populists are lashing out against the latter, especially after the American elections, using the lack of authenticity to instead attack values ​​and rights and take us back to a world that no longer makes sense. To get an idea of ​​what is happening, I invite you to read the case of the American chain Walmart in our column We talk about on page 22.

Authenticity, its demand and the weight it has in our lives will remain an important factor for a long time, one of the peculiar characteristics well beyond this moment. I hope this issue of Vanity Fair helps you better understand its scope, the risks involved and the great opportunities it brings with it.

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