‘Cats’ Star Judi Dench Says Her Feline Character is ‘Trans’
Universal Pictures’ big-screen adaptation of Cats grows weirder with each passing day. It almost feels like a Christmas present every morning, waking up and discovering a new tidbit about just how wacko this movie is. Cats has generated some of the Internet’s most scathing (re: hilarious) criticism. The backlash has become so bad that Universal is re-releasing an updated version of the film in theaters in an attempt to remedy some of the unfortunate CGI mishaps — the worst offender being the wedding ring left on Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench)’s human paw.
While Dench hasn’t commented on her feline character’s marital status, she does have a ... unique perspective on her role of Jellicle tribe leader Old Deuteronomy, traditionally played by a male actor. In an interview with Out, Dench comments that being cast in the gender-bending role was "totally unexpected". "I kind of call it ‘trans Deuteronomy,’ is the part for me, you know," Dench explains. Um, right.
You might not know that once upon a time, Judi Dench was set to play Grizabella and Jennyanydots in the 1981 West End stage production in London. But after an injury to her achilles tendon, she thought she was saying goodbye to the Jellicle Junkyard for good. So it’s actually kind of sweet to see her reborn into a different Jellicle life as Old Deuteronomy in this year’s updated version. "Its glorious to have been included in it, I must say," says Dench.
Cats is in theaters now.
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