Remember “Cats“? The big-budget adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical that became part of our collective nightmares the moment the first trailer came out? Though the film was neither the critical nor a commercial success that director Tom Hooper intended, probably no one was as disappointed with the film’s failure than singer and actor Jason Derulo, who was convinced the movie was “gonna change the world.”
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Really, he actually believed that. The singer, who played the rebellious Rum Tum Tugger in the film, said to The Telegraph that “Cats” would be the “perfect” debut acting role for him.
“For the longest time, I was trying to figure out what’s the perfect first role?” Derulo said. “‘Cats’ checked all the boxes. You can’t get a more star-studded cast, you don’t get a more respected director than an Oscar winner, and Rum Tum Tugger is a legacy role, a standout character in a classic musical.”
“Even when I saw the trailer, I thought it looked unbelievable,” he added. “Like, I know some people saw it and they were terrified, but I got chills down my spine! I thought it was gonna change the world.”
Well, it’s valid to dream. Of course, this didn’t happen, and “Cats” got poor reviews and an underwhelming performance at the box office that led to Universal pulling the film’s awards campaign. Thankfully, it seems Derulo isn’t being bitter about it.
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“It didn’t pan out,” he said. “With all things that leftfield, it could either be considered genius or batshit crazy. That’s the risk you take. It taught me a lesson. You can’t wait for the perfect moment, cause that might not be your moment. So you’ve just got to go for gold. That’s how I’ll move forward.”
