Judi Dench, 91, Shares Important Life Lesson While Discussing the Film She ‘Can’t Bear’ to Watch

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Judi Dench is a veteran actor regularly celebrated for her performances, but there is one role she would rather forget. This is her appearance in the 2019 film, “Cats,” adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway musical. 

Judi Dench Reflects on Her Role in ‘Cats’

The film had a star-studded cast including Dench, Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Steve McRae, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Ian McKellen, and Rebel Wilson. Dench played Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the Jellicle Cats. The performance marked the first time that the character was portrayed as female. However, in her memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?,” Dench reflected on the role, saying she “can’t bear it,” but found a silver lining in the important life lesson she learned.  

“Oh God, I can’t bear it – and [Lloyd Webber] had waited so long for it to be made,” she wrote, Variety reports. “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.” 

She continued, “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.” But despite not enjoying the film, Dench looks at it with an inspiring perspective. “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.”

Dench’s memoir will be released on November 3. 

‘Cats’ Did Not Win Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Approval

Webber had wanted a film adaptation since 2013, and director Tom Hooper was in negotiations from February 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Despite this, the final project was perhaps not what either had hoped. The publication shared the synopsis for the film, writing, “The story follows the cats on a night known as ‘the Jellicle choice.’ During the one-night event, one cat will be chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and will ultimately come back to a new life.” 

This is not the first time that Dench has criticized “Cats.” In a 2020 interview with British Vogue, she made fun of her costume, saying, “The cloak I was made to wear! Like five foxes (expletive) on my back.” She said she looked like “A battered, mangy old cat. A great big orange bruiser.” 

Webber also criticized the film in 2021. “There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it, and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy,” he said, The Guardian reports.