Nicole Scherzinger has revealed that she was left “devastated” after she was unable to audition for the film adaptation of Cats.
The Pussycat Dolls star, 41, appeared as Grizabella in the musical’s 2014 West End revival, but claimed that casting directors for Tom Hooper’s forthcoming film refused to see her audition.
“That really upset me, I won’t lie about that,” she told The Guardian. “I was devastated.”
“I just wanted to be given a fair opportunity – then you can turn me down,” she added. “Turn me down to my face, at least, and they didn’t.”
The singer said that she was comforted by Cats composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wife Madeleine over the phone, and described the couple as being “like family” to her.
Lloyd Webber previously fell out with the star after she pulled out of the Broadway run of Cats in 2016 to judge The X Factor.
“I’m furious because I really believe she’s the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here,” he told Economist Radio that year, adding: “But never mind, there’ll be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony award.”
However the pair appear to have since made up, with Lloyd Webber describing her as “one of the most talented artists I’ve ever worked with” and “a God given musical theatre actress” in a 2018 interview with Billboard.
The big screen version of Cats will star Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as Grizebella, while ballerina Francesca Hayward will play Victoria the White Cat.
Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo and James Corden will also star in the film, which arrives in UK cinemas on December 20.
Cats, The Musical: Film Characters 2019 – In pictures
1/9 Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift steps into the role of Bombalurina – the sassy, flirtatious cat who can be seen lying on a hammock, sprinkling Catnip to a crowd of blissed out followers. Cat-lover Swift embarked on extensive movement workshops to prepare for the role, which she spoke about in the recent behind-the-scenes video. It’s her first major film role, although she has acted before in the film Valentine’s Day and an episode of the sitcom New Girl. Bombalurina doesn’t have a big solo number of her own, but she does feature on some of the catchiest tunes, including Macavity the Mystery Cat and The Rum Tum Tugger.
2/9 Idris Elba
Idris Elba plays the enigmatic Macavity – the villain of the piece, who is known as the Napoleon of Crime. He’s universally feared and hated by the rest of the cats, and the character adds intrigue and a splash of mystery to the piece. The song about his character, Macavity the Mystery Cat, may have been what Elba and Swift were rehearsing in a behind-the-scenes look released this week.
3/9 Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson plays Jennyanydots – the Old Gumbie Cat who spends her days being lazy, before coming alive in the nighttime. It looks like Wilson will be bringing her typical brio to the role, and fans get a sense of what to expect from her performance in the clip. In the original musical we’re introduced to the character with a song, The Old Grumble Cat, in which she scurries around at night, performing with Bombalurina.
4/9 Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson plays the former glamour cat Grizabella, who is now grey and shabby. The cats initially refuse to accept her, and look on in horror. Her journey to find acceptance and belonging is one of the musical’s major themes. Grizabella has the most memorable song in the musical – Memory, which can be heard in the trailer. It’s classic Oscar-bait – a formula that director Tom Hooper knows well, given Anne Hathaway picked up a gong for her performance in his Les Mis adaptation, where she got the biggest song, I Dreamed a Dream.
5/9 Sir Ian McKellen
Legendary English actor Sir Ian McKellen styles out the CGI fur look better than anyone else. In another well-cast role, he plays Gus the theatre cat, who was once a famous author and helps the cats put on a production for Old Deuteronomy. In the musical, he gets to perform one of the most enjoyable songs from the best act, Gus: The Theatre Cat.
6/9 Dame Judi Dench
The wise cat Old Deuteronomy is played by Dame Judi Dench. The influential, elder member of the group is the one who attempts to convince the other cats to accept Jennifer Hudson’s Grizabella, and promotes a message of acceptance. It’s a part nearly 40 years in the making for Dench – the actress previously broke her achilles tendon the night before she’d been due to play Grizabella in a 1981 production of Cats on the West End. The character is one of the key players in the musical, performing the finale song The Ad-Dressing of the Cats and other highlights such as The Moment of Happiness that opens the second act.
7/9 Jason Derulo
Singer Jason Derulo makes his film debut as The Rum Tum Tugger, an extravagant showman with real swagger who refuses to play by the rules of the group. He’s got one of the most fabulous looks in the clip, complete with a gold chain. He ‘s seen putting on a show for the other cats in the clip, and dancing in the street before disappearing through a cat flap. The character has his own musical number, The Rum Tum Tugger, which he performs with Taylor Swift’s Bombalurina .
8/9 James Corden
Actor, presenter and comedian James Corden plays Bustopher Jones, an aristocat who embodies the elite of cat society, with wealth and a well-to-do nature. It looks like Corden has had a rough deal in the CGI department too, with the filmmakers giving him a lot of extra weight to carry around. While Bustopher Jones doesn’t have any show-stopping songs of his own, he plays a significant part in the ensemble, bringing comic elements and a touch of social satire to boot.
9/9 Francesca Hayward
Judging by the trailer, Francesca Hayward is set for one of the most significant roles in the new film. An acclaimed dancer, Hayward is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet who makes her acting debut in the film. The 27-year-old has appeared in some of the most prestigious roles in ballet, including Titania in The Dream, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Here she plays Victoria, a white cat and one of the main dancers in the stage version, who becomes one of the first to accept Grizabella.
1/9 Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift steps into the role of Bombalurina – the sassy, flirtatious cat who can be seen lying on a hammock, sprinkling Catnip to a crowd of blissed out followers. Cat-lover Swift embarked on extensive movement workshops to prepare for the role, which she spoke about in the recent behind-the-scenes video. It’s her first major film role, although she has acted before in the film Valentine’s Day and an episode of the sitcom New Girl. Bombalurina doesn’t have a big solo number of her own, but she does feature on some of the catchiest tunes, including Macavity the Mystery Cat and The Rum Tum Tugger.
2/9 Idris Elba
Idris Elba plays the enigmatic Macavity – the villain of the piece, who is known as the Napoleon of Crime. He’s universally feared and hated by the rest of the cats, and the character adds intrigue and a splash of mystery to the piece. The song about his character, Macavity the Mystery Cat, may have been what Elba and Swift were rehearsing in a behind-the-scenes look released this week.
3/9 Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson plays Jennyanydots – the Old Gumbie Cat who spends her days being lazy, before coming alive in the nighttime. It looks like Wilson will be bringing her typical brio to the role, and fans get a sense of what to expect from her performance in the clip. In the original musical we’re introduced to the character with a song, The Old Grumble Cat, in which she scurries around at night, performing with Bombalurina.
4/9 Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson plays the former glamour cat Grizabella, who is now grey and shabby. The cats initially refuse to accept her, and look on in horror. Her journey to find acceptance and belonging is one of the musical’s major themes. Grizabella has the most memorable song in the musical – Memory, which can be heard in the trailer. It’s classic Oscar-bait – a formula that director Tom Hooper knows well, given Anne Hathaway picked up a gong for her performance in his Les Mis adaptation, where she got the biggest song, I Dreamed a Dream.
5/9 Sir Ian McKellen
Legendary English actor Sir Ian McKellen styles out the CGI fur look better than anyone else. In another well-cast role, he plays Gus the theatre cat, who was once a famous author and helps the cats put on a production for Old Deuteronomy. In the musical, he gets to perform one of the most enjoyable songs from the best act, Gus: The Theatre Cat.
6/9 Dame Judi Dench
The wise cat Old Deuteronomy is played by Dame Judi Dench. The influential, elder member of the group is the one who attempts to convince the other cats to accept Jennifer Hudson’s Grizabella, and promotes a message of acceptance. It’s a part nearly 40 years in the making for Dench – the actress previously broke her achilles tendon the night before she’d been due to play Grizabella in a 1981 production of Cats on the West End. The character is one of the key players in the musical, performing the finale song The Ad-Dressing of the Cats and other highlights such as The Moment of Happiness that opens the second act.
7/9 Jason Derulo
Singer Jason Derulo makes his film debut as The Rum Tum Tugger, an extravagant showman with real swagger who refuses to play by the rules of the group. He’s got one of the most fabulous looks in the clip, complete with a gold chain. He ‘s seen putting on a show for the other cats in the clip, and dancing in the street before disappearing through a cat flap. The character has his own musical number, The Rum Tum Tugger, which he performs with Taylor Swift’s Bombalurina .
8/9 James Corden
Actor, presenter and comedian James Corden plays Bustopher Jones, an aristocat who embodies the elite of cat society, with wealth and a well-to-do nature. It looks like Corden has had a rough deal in the CGI department too, with the filmmakers giving him a lot of extra weight to carry around. While Bustopher Jones doesn’t have any show-stopping songs of his own, he plays a significant part in the ensemble, bringing comic elements and a touch of social satire to boot.
9/9 Francesca Hayward
Judging by the trailer, Francesca Hayward is set for one of the most significant roles in the new film. An acclaimed dancer, Hayward is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet who makes her acting debut in the film. The 27-year-old has appeared in some of the most prestigious roles in ballet, including Titania in The Dream, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Here she plays Victoria, a white cat and one of the main dancers in the stage version, who becomes one of the first to accept Grizabella.
