Jennifer Hudson believes ill-fated ‘Cats’ film was ‘misunderstood’

Jennifer Hudson has defended the Tom Hooper movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cats’.

Jennifer Hudson wasn’t kitten around when she said she stands by her decision to star in 2019’s doomed ‘Cats’ film adaptation.

The Respect star, 39, opened up about the less than purrr-fect musical in an interview with Total Film. Hudson played Grizabella the Glamour Cat in Tom Hooper’s version and claimed the film should not have been panned the way that it was. The movie currently has a critics’ rating of 19 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Jennifer Hudson calls ‘Cats’ ‘misunderstood’. Picture: Universal

“I think it was a bit overwhelming,” she said of the public’s reaction. “It’s unfortunate that it was misunderstood. I think later down the line, people will see it differently. But it is something I am still very proud of and grateful to have been a part of.”

The All Dressed in Love singer loved shooting Cats so much that she bought two of her own kitties. She named one after her character and the other after Macavity, Idris Elba’s feline alter ego.

“They are the best thing I’ve ever had. I love them so much,” she said of her cats.

Taylor Swift, who portrayed Bombalurina, defended the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. “I had a really great time working on that weird-ass movie,” Swift told Vanity Fair in January 2020.

‘Cats’ also starred Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Francesca Hayward, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, James Corden and Taylor Swift. Picture: Universal Pictures

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Not all the actors that starred in the film share Hudson’s sentiments, however. Rebel Wilson played Jennyanydots and ripped the movie to shreds during her hilarious 2020 BAFTA speech. Referring to her red and black dress, she said it was sewn together from two outfits: “The red is from that one time I didn’t win Miss Australia, and the black is from a funeral I just went to for the feature film Cats,” she joked at the time.

James Corden, who played a black and white cat Bustopher Jones, and Wilson presented an award at the 2020 Oscars while dressed as their characters. Corden quipped on stage, “As cast members of the motion picture Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects.”

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Jennifer Hudson believes ill-fated ‘Cats’ film was ‘misunderstood’