# ‘Oh God, I can’t bear it’: Judi Dench says Cats film was ‘a waste of goodwill and talent’

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-10-20 16:20 UTC · Category: Entertainment

## Executive Summary
Judi Dench calls the Cats film a waste of goodwill and talent in her new memoir.

## Intelligence Brief
Recent entertainment reporting details remarks made by Judi Dench concerning the feature film adaptation of Cats. According to coverage from outlets including Deadline, Dark Horizons, People.com, The Bookseller, Variety, and The Guardian, the actor describes the project as a waste of goodwill and talent. The remarks appear within a new memoir authored by Dench. Coverage notes that despite her involvement in the motion picture, she has not actually watched the final film. Her critique centers on the perceived squandering of the collaborative creative effort involved in the production.


Publications such as Variety, Deadline, and The Guardian emphasize specific phrases from the memoir, highlighting her exclamation of Oh God, I can’t bear it alongside her evaluation of the cinematic adaptation. People.com and Dark Horizons similarly feature these remarks, framing them as a candid assessment of the project. Concurrently, coverage from The Bookseller places the release within a broader literary context, noting that both Dench and author Bonnie Garmus are currently charming reviewers through books in the media landscape. The presence of these discussions across multiple entertainment publications demonstrates widespread interest in the actor's retrospective commentary on the widely discussed film release. The context provided by the reporting connects these admissions directly to the promotional rollout of her newly published memoir.


Memoirs frequently serve as a venue for performers to reflect candidly on past professional experiences, offering personal perspectives that were not publicly articulated during active production or initial theatrical release. In this case, the retrospective evaluation brings renewed attention to the cinematic adaptation of the stage musical, focusing specifically on how the creative participants view the final product years after its initial debut in cinemas. Future updates will depend on whether additional excerpts from the memoir attract further media attention or if other participants in the film respond to the published remarks. Coverage does not yet specify any upcoming promotional appearances or statements from other cast and crew members regarding the assessment. Observers and readers will monitor subsequent reviews and literary roundups, such as those tracked by The Bookseller, to see how the memoir performs in the marketplace alongside other current releases in the cultural sphere.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Judi Dench Laments “Waste Of Goodwill & Talent” In ‘Cats’: “Oh God, I Can’t Bear It” | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFBVV95cUxQandpZUhOOGF5Z3dTaDlkd0pFTDJ0d1d0SFJqekQ2UEhMQ25GM0wybXIzSUx1dTZWVWlpUTJrRUE1dTFZYWRUSjJDenhwVDFxSkJUSng4NjVJaXpibDJXSVVaNS1ITW1rWXYwWFdOOXJWb2xudFdvak1xYnNaSjRDYmVjMVhXaGZx?oc=5) |
| Dark Horizons | Judi Dench On “Cats”: “I Can’t Bear It” | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicEFVX3lxTE9kdGk5dFlGSWtYMkxwdVhNblV5UWlQdUdjdmNOUFkyTGx3LU5lbXJ0MEo1X3g5cGhVOVlqWlVBMkRBYUNyM010bl82Vlk4emM1d1BWY1pOOE16OTNKdWp4cnlJNXlfeVdsUVJLWVVPU3E?oc=5) |
| People.com | Judi Dench Hasn’t Seen Her Cats Movie, But She Calls It ‘a Waste of All That Goodwill and Talent’ in New Memoir | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxOV01kcUx2aDhxcGFvSlhXR1UwT2ZQZ09zOWxTRnBWbUwyZjQ5dW4tRlFHcWNscmZfREE4Q2U1bVRoM1hGUHpmcE9WTnFHZmZyQk5fS0hManR3M0pUZzJ6ZGtKU0ZodnBjRERZa2ZYcG9HcXZOVE03QkRUN21ZeER1YVVobXJqdXp5REtJSHFHUFVsTGNXVmc3aGZQczgwZmUzWTZEZnFWNkgtSjhXTVE?oc=5) |
| The Bookseller | Books in the Media: Judi Dench and Bonnie Garmus charm reviewers | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFBVV95cUxNeS10d01ZbkpwSWFRTEppU1lvR2ttUkdac0dpaE5HNDB6MkI3OHBoVzh3SDA4RjlMV1NWbXRxVG9KNUU4SlFIb1pMcXYwVDlGbi03a2htdnQtbExWdGVtVU1lRHl6Y3hpTWQ5ODd1bDVScE9vejdrOWJZS0VyZVFLdDZkQ2Z2RF93aWVnZGU4dDFJbGU3ZVhJOHJRZ21GNWpPeDR5bk56YVU5NVVV?oc=5) |
| Variety | Judi Dench Says 'Cats' Film Was 'A Waste' of 'Goodwill and Talent' | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxNN3NwSFJxZ3dPTTZjbDNpVGtoeDZVNF8yTEdEVDhSUlJRVThsVjc4R2hHaFlDTEJfWHB5WmNUV0JOc3BzSDNkRWMxcVhLLVk1OGtsTUFKX2lkWjlEc0lQNkVfSzdTdk5BczRIbTVVUVVaTFY4NkQ4Vnpzc29GN29vSXFUYzd3MGpmU01xdFVQY2NMRkxvWG1iSzI4eEQ4VkM5dXJULVF3?oc=5) |
| The Guardian | ‘Oh God, I can’t bear it’: Judi Dench says Cats film was ‘a waste of goodwill and talent’ | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxOdndoYnluYm5FZWR3UVY0Sl9IQVBoSGpHdjk0M0t2VHZJbk1MbE1SVTgxUEhNMl9SWXpwVmZCbFJTSW5CNjFBNFlrU1lBbkZZSnp3c2pfSlpEd255VV85RjBMWHNjanJUYzcteko0MUMxY1FOZXk0bkNxUWx4bDBWOUN0OHRxZGV0ODZaQkVySTBiQVVRamlHaWNyMm52eERRMEE?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-10-20/oh-god-i-can-t-bear-it-judi-dench-says-cats-film-was-a-waste-of-goodwill-and*