Dame Judi Dench recently spoke with British Vogue about her career and life and at one point, the topic of discussion turned towards her role as Old Deuteronomy in last year’s Tom Hooper-directed “Cats” musical.
Of course we all know what happened with “Cats” which was met with widespread ridicule, scathing reviews and terrible box-office – not to mention the still ongoing saga of the ‘Butthole Cut’ which began about the time the coronavirus pandemic began to seriously impact things.
Dench, who “visibly prickles” at mention of the film, admits she hasn’t seen the finished movie in its entirety but isn’t against the ridiculing, saying the costuming she had to wear on set (pre-CG enhancement) was not comfortable: “The cloak I was made to wear! Like five foxes f–king on my back.”
Dench also wasn’t that pleased with the final look of her character, saying she hoped she would look rather elegant. Instead? “[I’m] a battered, mangy old cat. A great big orange bruiser. What’s that about?”
The interview reassures her that “irony-loving younger audiences can’t get enough of it” and she says: “I had a very nice… text, from Ben Whishaw [the actor], who just doted on it. So sweet. So lovely.”
If you wish to endure everything that is “Cats,” it is now available on VOD.
