Sure, society may be collectively freaking out as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, but if we all just took a step back and relaxed, we'd realize that there's one thing which unites us – Digital Fur Technology. Tom Hooper's feature-film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed musical Cats was released late last year and was immediately met with negative reviews which recognized it as a dumpster fire of the highest order.
Despite the critical thrashing, CATS certainly wasn't devoid of talent, as it boasted a cast which included Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, and Judi Dench, among others. While speaking on BBC Radio 4's Front Row program, Judi Dench, who played Old Deuteronomy, revealed that she still hasn't seen the film nor read any of the negative responses. "I didn't read anything about the response to it, nor have I seen it," Dench said, adding that all she has seen of the film is a picture of her character, which didn't look exactly as she had pictured.
I've only seen a picture of myself [from the film]. I once had a cat [who looked] like that, called Carpet, and I didn't realize I was playing Carpet. I thought I was playing a kind of, you know, a mangy, old cat who didn't have much fur. I didn't realize I was this wonderful show cat!
One of the reasons Judi Dench hasn't seen the film or read any reviews is due to her struggle with macular degeneration, and although she was "aware of the response only slightly," she believes "people have been rather kind to me." CATS has received a whopping nine nominations for the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards, and Front Row host John Wilson was the one who broke the news that Judi Dench has received a nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. Dench's response was one of delight, "Oh, am I? That would be good! As far as I know, that's a first!" The 40th Golden Raspberry Awards are slated to take place on March 14th, and will be televised for the first time ever.