‘Cats’ Continues To Defy Logic, Judi Dench Says Her Character Is Transgender

It appears the “Cats” trainwreck is not stopping anytime soon. while the unfinished VFX issue gets worse, including a shot of Dame Judi Dench‘s very human hand appearing on screen‘s , Dench now seems to have a very interesting take on her character, and it’s impossible to tell if she’s being serious.

Dench plays Old Deutoronomy, a wise old cat who serves as a paternal figure for the other felines of the Jellicle tribe. The role is typically played by a male actor in the stage production, but that didn’t stop good old Tom Hooper from hiring Dench. In an interview with Out, Dench talked about being cast in the film, saying “it’s glorious to have been included in it.” Like many actors portraying roles that are well-established and have had renowned actors inhabit the same role in the past, it’s to be expected that the original actor will remain on the mind of the new one, so it’s understandable that Dench says that “all I can hear is Brian Blessed all the time in the production that I wasn’t able to be in,” referring to the actor who played Old Deutoronomy in the West End production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the 1939 poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot.

When asked about being cast in the traditionally male role, Dench said, “I kind of call it ‘trans Deuteronomy,’ is the part for me, you know.” Which, eh, sure. Dench added that “it was lovely, lovely to be led about and be an aged cat, very nice indeed.” To be honest, like everything else in this production, you can’t help but think no one is taking anything seriously, and Dench is probably just teasing. But the fact that she would compare the act of casting to transitioning is not a great look. If you’re going to try and increase visibility to an underrepresented community, an answer in an interview isn’t the way to do it. Still, you do you, Dame Judi Dench.

“Cats” is still playing in theaters, and still losing a lot of money.