Cats Star Jason Derulo Thought the Movie Would "Change the World"

Of all of the buzzworthy films that came out last year, the live-action adaptation of Cats was something else entirely. The take on Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical perplexed the moviegoing public before its first footage was even released, with the film using "digital fur technology" to transform its ensemble cast into felines. As more and more footage of the film began to be released - and general audiences got a sense of the musical's cerebral plot - Cats became a sort of punchline in the film world. This culminated in its poor reception from audiences and critics alike, and the film even needing to be "reissued" after viewers discovered incomplete visual effects. According to a new interview, one of the film's stars, Jason Derulo, had a much more positive outlook on the film prior to its release.

"I thought it was gonna change the world," Derulo, who played Rum Tum Tugger in the film, recently told The Telegraph. "Even when I saw the trailer, I got chills down my spine!"

Cats ended up being Derulo's first film role, and the musician initially thought that the movie ticked all of the proverbial boxes.

"For the longest time, I was trying to figure out what's the perfect first role," Derulo revealed. "Cats checked all the boxes. You can't get a more start-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."

Derulo isn't the only one who went into Cats with a positive outlook, with director Tom Hooper revealing that he was surprised by the initial reactions to the film's visual effects.

"I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, and it was obviously much more of a big deal than I thought," Hooper said in a previous interview. "Reading some of the commentary was pretty entertaining."

"I think probably my original dream to use a lot of the human face had gotten perhaps a bit lost in that process of rushing to make that first trailer," Hooper continued. "I really concentrated on bringing back the actors' faces because when you've got Ian McKellen or Judi Dench or Taylor Swift, why would you not want to? I don't know if that's what the comments were asking for, but what I took from it was that I needed to reconnect with my original plan and make sure I was delivering on that."

What do you think of Jason Derulo thinking Cats would "change the world"? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!