Dame Judi Dench has described the 2019 film adaptation of Cats as a 'waste of all that goodwill and talent' in her upcoming memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? The veteran actress, known for playing M in the James Bond franchise, reflected on her role as Old Deuteronomy in the Tom Hooper-directed film.
Dench on Cats backlash
Writing about the film's poor reception for the first time, Dench said: 'Oh God, I can't bear it!' She recalled how creator Andrew Lloyd Webber had waited 'so long for it to be made' and described the film as 'a waste of all that goodwill and talent.'
As reported by The Independent, Dench continued: 'I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film. I never saw the final cut so I can't judge. All I'll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film. You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party.'
Film's critical reception
Dench described it as a 'miracle' that any film gets made at all, 'let alone turn out to be a success, because there are so many moving parts.'
Cats currently holds a 19% 'Rotten' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics were harsh: Flick Feast called it a 'cat-astrophe,' while Mad About Movies Podcast said it was 'A truly terrible 'Memory' that will haunt me for a thousand lifetimes,' awarding it an F. Decider said it was 'too indigestible even for a hate-watch,' and CineXpress deemed it 'one of the biggest misfires I've ever seen on the big screen.' Metro took a different angle, calling it 'the best worst movie about cats ever made.'
Early career doubts
In the same period of reflection, Dench recalled being told by a film producer that she'd never make it as a star due to her 'wrong' face. She told The Times about meeting a 'big Hollywood producer' who said: 'Very nice to meet you, but you'll never make a movie because you have every single thing wrong with your face.'
Dench added: 'I suppose that was the era when you had to be quite a looker,' noting he had been 'very polite about it.' She continued: 'With amazing presence I said, "Thank you very much for your time," stood up, put the chair back against the wall and, as I left, I thought: "What a relief. I can throw all my energies into becoming a theatre actor."'
