Judi Dench Says Panned ‘Cats’ Film Was a ‘Waste’ of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Goodwill and Talent’: ‘Oh God, I Can’t Bear It’

Judi Dench, who played Old Deuteronomy in Tom Hooper’s “Cats,” is reflecting on the universally panned film in her forthcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”

Released in 2019, the film adapted Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely successful musical of the same name. But despite its stacked cast — which also included James Corden, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and others among Dench — the film was considered a critical and commercial failure.

“Oh God, I can’t bear it – and [Lloyd Webber] had waited so long for it to be made,” she wrote. “What a waste of all that goodwill and talent. 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.” (Dench was nominated for a Razzie award for her performance in the film.)

She also added, “It’s a miracle that anything is ever made – films, plays, TV – let alone turn out to be a success, because there are so many moving parts,” speaking about the industry at large.

“Sometimes things just don’t work out: the timing’s wrong, the cast don’t gel, the elements don’t coalesce,” she wrote. “But people’s intentions are mostly honorable. There were no villains in the making of Cats. And if something isn’t a success, then there are always things you can say you’ve learnt.”