Let’s be real. When the first trailer for the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage phenomenon dropped in 2019, the internet collectively lost its mind. It wasn't the music that did it. It wasn't the plot—mostly because Cats basically doesn't have one. It was the "Digital Fur Technology." Seeing the cast of the movie Cats, a literal roster of A-list icons, transformed into humanoid felines with human breasts and weirdly smooth skin was... a lot. People were confused. Honestly, they were mostly terrified.
How did a movie with this much raw talent become a punchline? We are talking about Oscar winners. Grammys. Ballet legends. It’s arguably one of the most decorated ensembles ever put on screen, yet they ended up in a project that some critics described as a "fever dream."
Who Was Actually in the Cast of the Movie Cats?
The sheer density of fame in this lineup is staggering. It’s like director Tom Hooper went to an awards gala and just invited everyone who was currently holding a trophy.
Francesca Hayward was the lead, playing Victoria. If you aren't a ballet nerd, you might not have known her, but she's a Principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. She was the "audience surrogate," the kitten who gets abandoned in London and meets the Jellicle gang. She’s incredible. Her movement is fluid and precise, which unfortunately made the CGI fur look even more disconnected from her actual body.
Then you have Judi Dench. Dame Judi Dench! She played Old Deuteronomy. Historically, this role was played by a man on stage, but Hooper swapped the gender for the film. Dench actually has a long history with this show; she was supposed to be in the original 1981 West End production but had to pull out because of a snapped Achilles tendon. Talk about a full-circle moment that maybe shouldn't have happened.
And don't forget Ian McKellen as Gus the Theatre Cat. There is a specific scene where he laps milk from a bowl that is genuinely uncomfortable to watch, but his performance is arguably the most "human" of the bunch. He brings a weird, shaky dignity to a cat that lives in a digital junk yard.
The Pop Stars and the Comedians
Hooper didn't just stick to the theater crowd. He went for the charts.
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Taylor Swift appeared as Bombalurina. She was barely in the movie—maybe ten minutes tops—but she got top billing. She descended on a crescent moon, sprinkled "catnip" (which looked a lot like glittery drugs) on a crowd of dancing cats, and sang "Macavity." It was peak Taylor, even in fur. She even co-wrote an original song for the film with Lloyd Webber called "Beautiful Ghosts," which was honestly one of the better parts of the soundtrack.
Jennifer Hudson played Grizabella. She had the impossible task of singing "Memory," a song so overplayed it’s almost lost its meaning. She went for it. She sang her lungs out, with actual snot running down her face—a choice by Hooper to keep the "raw" emotion—but it was hard to focus on the vocal performance when her digital cat ears were twitching sporadically.
Then there’s the comedy relief. James Corden (Bustopher Jones) and Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots). This is where the movie gets divisive. Wilson’s character unzips her own skin to reveal a sparkly outfit underneath, and at one point, she eats human-faced cockroaches. It’s a lot to process.
Why the Talent Didn't Match the Result
Usually, when you assemble a cast like this, you’re guaranteed a hit. Or at least a respectable drama. But Cats is a unique beast. The cast of the movie Cats worked under incredibly difficult conditions.
They weren't wearing costumes. They were wearing spandex suits with tracking dots.
Imagine being Idris Elba (Macavity). You are one of the coolest men on the planet. You’ve played Stringer Bell. You’re being touted as the next James Bond. And now, you have to stand in a green-screen room, pretending to be a magical, naked cat. Elba tried his best to bring a villainous energy to the role, but the final CGI made him look like a smooth, bronze Ken doll. It was a mismatch of tone and technology.
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The Problem with the "Scale"
One thing the cast struggled with was the set design. To make the actors look cat-sized, the production built massive sets—giant chairs, oversized doors, huge trash cans.
- The Scale Issue: Sometimes the actors looked six inches tall.
- The Proportions: Other times, they looked like humans just crawling on the floor.
- The Feet: Most of the cast performed in "invisible" shoes or barefoot, which were then digitally replaced by paws.
Because the cast of the movie Cats were often performing on these giant sets without seeing the final "fur" results, their movements didn't always align with the physics of the digital world. You can see it in the way they sit or lean against objects; there’s a lack of weight.
The Aftermath for the Actors
What happens to your career after you're in a movie that gets 19% on Rotten Tomatoes?
For the legends like Dench and McKellen, nothing changed. They are untouchable. Dench even joked in interviews that she hadn't actually seen the movie and was surprised by how she looked, famously comparing her appearance to a "carpet."
For the newcomers, it was a bit weirder. Laurie Davidson, who played Mr. Mistoffelees, is a fantastic actor, but he’s now forever associated with the guy in the rhinestone tuxedo cat-suit. Jason Derulo, who played Rum Tum Tugger, seemed to take it in stride, though there was a whole saga regarding the "smoothing out" of his anatomy in the final edit.
Honestly, the cast of the movie Cats seems to have bonded over the shared trauma of the production. There’s a certain "we were in the trenches" vibe whenever they talk about it.
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Does it Have a Future as a Cult Classic?
Believe it or not, people are still watching this movie. Not because they think it's a masterpiece, but because it’s a fascinating failure. It has become a "Rocky Horror" style experience. People go to screenings, drink heavily, and scream at the screen when the mice with human faces appear.
The cast's performances are actually quite earnest. That's the tragedy. If they had phoned it in, it wouldn't be as weird. But because Jennifer Hudson is genuinely crying and Idris Elba is genuinely trying to be menacing, the absurdity is turned up to eleven.
Essential Facts About the Ensemble
If you're looking for the quick breakdown of who played who, here is the core group:
- The Lead: Francesca Hayward (Victoria)
- The Diva: Jennifer Hudson (Grizabella)
- The Elder: Judi Dench (Old Deuteronomy)
- The Villain: Idris Elba (Macavity)
- The Star Power: Taylor Swift (Bombalurina)
- The Comic Duo: James Corden and Rebel Wilson
- The Legend: Ian McKellen (Gus the Theatre Cat)
The movie also featured incredible dancers like Les Twins (Larry and Laurent Bourgeois) as Plato and Socrates. Their urban dance style was one of the few things that actually felt modern and fresh in the film, even if it was buried under layers of digital hair.
Practical Takeaways for Film Buffs
If you are planning to watch Cats for the first time to see this cast in action, go in with the right mindset. Don't expect a logical narrative. Cats is a series of poems by T.S. Eliot set to music. It’s a variety show.
- Watch the "Memory" sequence: Regardless of your feelings on the CGI, Hudson’s vocal is a masterclass.
- Look for the cameos: Look closely for Mette Towley (the dancer from Rihanna’s "Lemon" video) as Jemima.
- Appreciate the choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler (of Hamilton fame) did the choreography. If you can ignore the fur, the movement is actually world-class.
- Ignore the logic: Don't ask why some cats wear coats and others are naked. Don't ask why they have human hands but cat ears. You won't find answers.
The cast of the movie Cats did exactly what they were hired to do: they gave 100% to a vision that was probably impossible to execute. It remains a testament to the fact that even the greatest actors in the world can't overcome a fundamental disconnect in visual design.
To really understand the impact of this film, watch the "making of" featurettes. You'll see the actors in their motion-capture suits, looking like they're having the time of their lives. It's a reminder that filmmaking is a gamble. Sometimes you win an Oscar for The King's Speech, and sometimes you make Cats.
For anyone interested in the technical side of things, researching the "patch" that was sent to theaters after the movie was already released is a great rabbit hole. It’s one of the few times in history a movie was updated while it was still in its initial run because the visual effects were literally unfinished. One shot famously showed Judi Dench’s human hand—complete with her wedding ring—because the CGI fur hadn't been layered over it yet. It’s those little human errors that make the movie a piece of cinematic history, for better or worse.