Dame Judi Dench Calls 'Cats' a 'Waste of Talent'
The veteran actress, who played Old Deuteronomy, admitted she has never seen the final cut of the 2019 film.
Dame Judi Dench has described the 2019 film adaptation of "Cats" as a "waste of goodwill and talent." The 91-year-old actress, who portrayed Old Deuteronomy in the musical film, stated that she has never seen the completed version of the movie.
"Cats," based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 stage musical, featured a prominent cast including James Corden, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, and Jennifer Hudson. The film garnered significant criticism and underperformed at the box office, grossing $76 million against a $100 million budget.
In her memoir, "Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?", Dench reflected on the production, writing, "What a waste of all that goodwill and talent." She added, "I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film. I never saw the final cut so I can't judge."
Despite her reservations about the film's reception, Dench maintained that the cast and crew had good intentions. "All I'll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film," she stated. "You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party. Sometimes things just don't work out: the timing's wrong, the cast don't gel, the elements don't coalesce. But people's intentions are mostly honourable. There were no villains in the making of Cats."
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of the original musical, had previously commented that the film adaptation was "as exciting as what we did years ago." However, "Cats" received multiple nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards in 2020. Dench was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress, a category ultimately won by her co-star Rebel Wilson. The film itself won Worst Picture, and director Tom Hooper was named Worst Director, with James Corden taking home the award for Worst Supporting Actor.
When asked about her nomination in 2020, Dench humorously responded on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, "Oh, am I? That would be good. As far as I know, that's a first!" She also noted her general practice of not focusing on reviews, stating, "I'm not big on reading reviews, anyway.... you kind of know, yourself, about something, I think."