Judi Dench is offering her own take on her “Cats” character Old Deutoronomy.
While chatting with Out magazine, the icon, 85, who stars in the new feature film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical, claimed her character is transgender. Dench is the first woman to play the character.
“Its glorious to have been included in it, I must say,” she gushed, referring to the time she actually supposed to appear in the West End stage production of the musical in 1981, but she was forced to drop out when she snapped her Achilles tendon.
“[It was] nerve-wracking, because all I can hear is Brian Blessed all the time in the production that I wasn’t able to be in.”
Blessed played Old Deutoronomy in the stage show.
But landing the role, traditionally given to a male, was “totally unexpected” for Dench, “I kind of call it ‘trans Deuteronomy,’ is the part for me, you know.”
She later added, “It was lovely, lovely to be led about and be an aged cat, very nice indeed.”
Twitter was not impressed with Dench’s remarks:
“Cats” is in theatres now.
