Judi Dench critiques Cats film as a waste of talent

In her upcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”, actress Judi Dench reflects on her experience in the 2019 film adaptation of the musical “Cats”. Dench, who portrayed the character Old Deuteronomy, described the production as a “waste of all that goodwill and talent,” specifically noting how long composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had waited for the film to be made.

Dench noted that she never saw the final cut of the film and therefore cannot offer a complete judgment, but she defended the intentions of the cast and crew. She emphasized that “nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film” and suggested that the project’s failure may have been due to poor timing or a lack of cohesion among the many moving parts of production.

The film, directed by Tom Hooper, was widely panned by critics and received six Golden Raspberry Awards. Despite a high-profile ensemble including Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, and James Corden, the movie faced significant criticism regarding its CGI and overall execution.