Judi Dench calls Cats a waste of goodwill and talent in her new memoir
Judi Dench has taken aim at one of her most panned films, calling a 2019 flop “a waste of goodwill & talent” and saying production made her uneasy.
Let’s be honest — the infamous 2019 Cats film is one of those rare cinematic events that went down in flames right before our eyes. If you thought that was just the audience's opinion, well, you’re not alone. Turns out, Dame Judi Dench herself felt the same — and she's not shy about saying so in her upcoming memoir.
Dench describes the experience as "a waste of all that goodwill and talent," acknowledging that critics' reactions were downright "hostile."
Dench Looks Back on Bizarre Cat Chaos
In Cats, Dench took on Old Deuteronomy, a legendary figure in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical universe. But in her book, she admits she’s never even watched the final cut, so she “can’t judge” every detail — though, frankly, you hardly need to have sat through all those CGI tails and glowing eyes to know something was off. She remembers the sea of negative reviews, and there’s no sugar-coating here: critics weren’t just “critical;” they were practically fangs-out.
For those who missed it, Cats was absolutely rinsed post-release, and not just for the odd casting choices. The source of much of the mockery? The digital fur work that left most of the stars looking more like poorly rendered video-game creatures than actual cats. The memes were relentless, and the film rapidly became something of a pop-culture punchline.
Turns out, Dench had reservations of her own while making it — beyond just the strange visuals. She’s candid about never feeling quite right during the shoot, particularly when she saw young dancers absolutely slaving away take after take, then barely getting a nod of appreciation from the rest of the team. She puts it plainly: being Old Deuteronomy just “didn’t feel right.”
A Few Silver Linings
It wasn’t all horrorshow, mind. Dench did find some fun between the chaos — swapping stories with Taylor Swift, or getting ultra-competitive with Swift’s vocal coach at Bananagrams (yes, really). She even discovered, mid-filming, that she could still fling her leg skyward — impressive at any age, let alone as a cat matriarch in a digital bodysuit. Things ended on a headline-worthy note when Jason Derulo (Rum Tum Tugger in case you’d wiped all memory) handed her 50 roses, painted gold and designed to last a lifetime, as a farewell present.
Still, Dench doesn’t lob any blame around. She’s adamant that the creative team weren’t villains, just well-intentioned folks who missed the mark. As she puts it, most people in the film game show up to try and make something brilliant. Sometimes, the final product just… doesn’t get there.
The 2019 adaptation of Cats cost $78 million and turned into one of the decade’s most notorious flops.