Judi Dench Slams Cats Film as Waste of Talent — SkimNews
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- Judi Dench described the Cats film as 'a waste of goodwill and talent' in her forthcoming memoir, saying she could not bear to watch the final cut despite playing Old Deuteronomy.
- Judi Dench felt 'ill at ease from the beginning' on set, disliked the CGI-heavy production, and criticized how young dancers were treated after takes, left 'exhausted and ignored'.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber said the film left him 'emotionally damaged', prompting him to adopt a Havanese puppy, which he later used as an emotional support animal on flights.
- Tom Hooper has not directed a film since Cats, which was widely panned for its CGI, including the erasure of animal anuses while retaining human features like Dench’s wedding ring.
- Judi Dench recalled small personal joys on set, including playing Bananagrams, lifting her leg in the air, meeting Taylor Swift, and receiving 50 gold-spraypainted roses from Jason Derulo on her last day.
Why it matters: The backlash to *Cats* was so severe it derailed the careers of major figures—Hooper hasn’t worked since, and Lloyd Webber required emotional support to recover—while Dench’s candid critique underscores how even respected talents can be let down by flawed productions despite good intentions.
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