Dame Judi Dench calls 2019 Cats film a waste of goodwill

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 13:02 · Archive

Dame Judi Dench has described the 2019 film adaptation of Cats as a waste of talent and goodwill in her newly published memoir.

Dame Judi Dench has described the 2019 film adaptation of Cats as a 'waste of all that goodwill and talent' in her newly published memoir Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, released today. The Oscar-winning actress, who played Old Deuteronomy and wore an orange fur coat for the character, said she felt 'ill at ease from the beginning' and the role 'just didn't feel right'.

Dench acknowledged that critics were hostile to the film. She noted that she never saw the final cut, so could not judge the final product. 'All I'll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film,' she wrote. 'You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party.' The actress reflected that Andrew Lloyd Webber had waited a long time for the musical to be adapted for film.

Despite her reservations about the role, Dench found some positives in making the film, including meeting Taylor Swift and playing Bananagrams with her vocal coach.

How it is being reported

• York-born screen icon reveals she 'never saw final cut' of contentious filmA York-born internationally recognised icon of stage and screen has described the 2019 film adaptation of Cats as a 'waste of goodwill'Gazette & Herald (Malton) · 22 Oct, 12:30
• York-born screen icon reveals she 'never saw final cut' of contentious filmA York-born internationally recognised icon of stage and screen has described the 2019 film adaptation of Cats as a 'waste of goodwill'The Press (York) · 22 Oct, 12:30

In this story: Dame Judi Dench · Andrew Lloyd Webber · Taylor Swift · Cats · York

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