Judi Dench brands Cats movie 'a waste of goodwill and talent'

Judi Dench has blasted the Cats movie, calling it a waste of "goodwill and talent".

The 91-year-old actress played Old Deuteronomy alongside James Corden, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen, among others, in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's famed stage musical.

The movie musical was a critical and commercial failure upon its December 2019 release, and many members of the team have addressed the flop over the years.

In her forthcoming memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?, Dench reflected on the misfire.

"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."

Cats was nominated for nine Razzies awards and won six, including Worst Picture. Dench was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her performance, but her co-star Rebel Wilson took home the 'prize' instead.

Lloyd Webber has been very vocal about disliking the movie adaptation, calling it "ridiculous" and "off-the-scale all wrong" in the press.

In her memoir, the Oscar-winning actress noted that it was "a miracle" any project ever gets made, let alone succeeds, because there are "so many moving parts".

"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 honourable. 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."

Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? will be released on 3 November.