WILSON AND FRANCESCA HAYWARD SAT DOWN WITH US TO TALK ABOUT THE
MOVIE, THE MUSIC AND OF COURSE
THE MEMORIES
THE MEMORIES ♪ MEMORIES TURN YOUR FACE TO THE
MOONLIGHT
MOONLIGHT ♪
♪ >> "CATS" IS ONE OF THE LONGEST
RUNNING AND MOST BELOVED
BROADWAY MUSICALS OF ALL TIME,
AND NOW IT’S GETTING A NEW LIFE
ON THE BIG SCREEN.
>> THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
WERE YOU ALL FEELING LOTS OF
PRESSURE?
PRESSURE? >> YES.
>> YES. >> YEAH, I THINK YOU HAD THE
MOST.
MOST. >> YES.
>> YES. >> JENNIFER’S GOT LIKE THE SONG
OF THE MUSICAL.
>> AND FRAN WHICH HE HASCESCA WA
THERE’S A BIT OF PRESSURE THERE.
>> THE GOOD TIMES ROLL WITH AN
ALL STAR PAST, JENNIFER HUDSON,
TAYLOR SWIFT, JUDI DENCH, IDRIS
ELBA, AND SIR IAN McKELLEN.
>> WE HAVE THIS INCREDIBLE
CRAZY, STAR STUDDED CAST, AND
YOU KNOW, INTRODUCING FRANCESCA
HAYWARD, WHAT DOES SHE FEEL
LIKE?
LIKE? >> I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT, SAT
NEXT TO THESE AMAZING LADIES,
BUT YEAH, I JUST TRIED NOT TO,
LIKE, DWELL ON IT TOO MUCH,
MAYBE, AND JUST TRYING TO GET
EVERYONE LIKE, THEY’RE JUST
NORMAL PEOPLE.
NORMAL PEOPLE. >> HOW WAS SHE AS A DANCER?
>> THE BEST DANCER I HAVE EVER
SEEN IN MY LIFE.
>> I FELT LIKE I WAS FLYING.
>> WHAT ABOUT WHEN JUDI DENCH
WAS THERE, SHE’S KIND OF A
LEGEND.
LEGEND. >> SHE’S THE NICEST LEGEND,
THOUGH.
THOUGH. >> SHE’S 85 YEARS OLD, AND SHE
HAS TO WEAR THIS COAT THAT WAS
LIKE 80 POUNDS AND SHE WOULD
BITCH ABOUT IT LOT.
OH, MY GOD, JUDI DENCH IS LIKE
BITCHING.
BITCHING. >> WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT CANDY
ON THE SET?
>> SHE GOT ME CANDY.
IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING THING.
I WAS TALKING NEAR HER ABOUT
THIS KIND OF CANDY THEY HAVE IN
THE UK CALLED SQUASHIES AND I
WAS LIKE THIS IS LEGIT CANDY.
LET ME TALK ABOUT IT.
IT’S GUMMY, IT TASTES LIKE A
COMBINATION OF STRAWBERRIES.
AND THE NEXT DAY IN ANY DRESSING
ROOM I WALKED INTO THE TRAILER
AND THERE WERE LIKE TEN PACKETS
OF CANDY WITH A SIGNED HEAD SHOT
FROM JUDI.
FROM JUDI. >> SHE SIGNED A HEAD SHOT.
IT WAS THE MOST ROMANTIC
SURPRISE.
SURPRISE. >> TO GET INTO CHARACTER.
>> MEOW.
>> MEOW. >> ALL OF THE ACTORS ATTENDED
CAT SCHOOL.
CAT SCHOOL. >> CAT SCHOOL IS SOMETHING THAT
YOU COULD DO AS MUCH OF OR AS
LITTLE OF AS YOU WANTED.
I WAS IN CAT SCHOOL A LOT.
YOU’RE CRAWLING AROUND ON THE
FLOOR.
FLOOR. YOU’RE LEARNING ABOUT THEIR
ANATOMY, THEIR IMPULSES, THEIR
INSTINCTS, HOW THEY SENSE
THINGS.
THINGS. >> YOU HAVE TO REALLY, LIKE
SNIFF EACH OTHER, THE SENSE OF
SMELL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO A
CAT.
CAT. >> WHAT ABOUT THE LICKING THAT’S
GOING ON.
GOING ON. THERE’S A LOT OF LICKING.
>> I LICKED JASON.
>> BUT THAT WASN’T IN THE
SCRIPT.
SCRIPT. >> ONE OF THE FILM’S MOST
MEMORABLE MOMENTS, A SHOW
STOPPING PERFORMANCE BY JENNIFER
HUDSON.
HUDSON. >> ♪ IT’S SO EASY TO LEAVE ME
♪
♪ >> THAT SONG, BY THE WAY, WHEN
THEY TALK PRESSURE, NO KIDDING.
YOU STOOD UP THERE AND BROUGHT
PEOPLE TO TEARS.
>> IT WAS DEFINITELY EMOTIONAL,
SCARY A BIT, BUT I TRIED TO BE
IN THE MOMENT.
LIVE GRIZABELLA’S STORY.
LIVE HER STORY.
IT FELT REAL BECAUSE ALL THE
CATS WERE AROUND ME.
>> TAYLOR TEAMED UP WITH
LEGENDARY COMPOSER ANDREW LLOYD
WEBBER WHO SCORED THE ORIGINAL
MUSICAL TO WRITE "BEAUTIFUL
GHOSTS" A NEW ORIGINAL SONG FOR
THE FILM NOMINATED FOR A GOLDEN
GLOBE.
GLOBE. >> FOR THIS ICONIC SHOW, TO
WRITE ANOTHER SONG IS A BIG
DEAL: HOW DID YOU INTRODUCE THAT
SONG TO FRANCESCA.
>> BEAUTIFUL BALLERINA, IN THE
SHOW CAST, BUT IN THE ORIGINAL
SHOW SHE DOESN’T HAVE A SONG AND
WE NEVER HEAR FROM HER.
>> I HAVE HAD SO MANY PINCH ME
MOMENTS IN THIS WHOLE FILM, THAT
WAS SURREAL IS HAVING A PRIVATE
CONCERT FROM TAYLOR OF A SONG
THAT YOU HAD WRITTEN FOR ME, FOR
MY CHARACTER.
MY CHARACTER. >> TAYLOR ALSO JUST RANG IN HER
30th BIRTHDAY BY ACCEPTING
BILLBOARD’S FIRST EVER WOMAN OF
THE DECADE AWARD.
>> THE DEFINITION OF THE TOXIC
MALE PRIVILEGE IN OUR INDUSTRY
IS PEOPLE SAYING BUT HE’S ALWAYS
BEEN NICE TO ME.
>> I’M WATCHING YOU AND YOU’RE
SITTING HERE AMONG THESE SUPER
STRONG WOMEN, AND I HAVE TO TELL
YOU I WAS REALLY STRUCK WHEN YOU
GAVE YOUR SPEECH.
DESCRIBE THAT MOMENT FOR ME.
>> WELL, I THINK AS WOMEN WE CAN
BE THANKFUL FOR THE WONDERFUL
THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
THERE ARE ALWAYS MOMENTS FOR
THAT, BUT IF WE’RE REALLY LIVING
COMPLEX LIVES, WE SHOW THE OTHER
THINGS TOO.
THINGS TOO. BUT IF IT’S GOING TO HELP
SOMEONE ELSE AND IT’S SOMETHING
THAT I SEE AS TRULY BENEFICIAL
TO OTHER PEOPLE, I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO EXPRESS YOURSELF
AND IN MUSIC, YOU KNOW, AS
WOMEN, WE NEED TO HAVE EACH
OTHER’S BACKS AND I THINK THAT
WE’RE IN A PLACE RIGHT NOW IN
TIME WHERE I’M SEEING THAT
HAPPEN SO MUCH.
AND IT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU PLAY CATS,
LET’S PRETEND YOU HAVE NINE
LIVES, WHAT’S THE NEXT THING
THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO IN
YOUR LIFE, REBEL?
>> BUY A DOG.
>> I THINK THAT I’M JUST GOING
TO KEEP MAKING MUSIC AND TAKING
CHALLENGES.
CHALLENGES. ONE THING WITH DOING "CATS" IS
THAT IT WAS A CHALLENGE IN SO
MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
THE ONLY THING I HAVE CONTROL
OVER IS THE EXPERIENCE, AND IS
IT GOING TO ENRICH MY LIFE.
IS IT GOING TO BE FUN.
IS IT GOING TO BE AN ADVENTURE,
THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE
YOUR LIFE MORE EXCITING ARE
THINGS YOU SHOULD SAY YES TO.
>> ♪ BUT AT LEAST YOU HAVE
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS ♪
♪ >> IT WAS SUCH A FUN SIT DOWN
WITH THOSE LADIES, TAYLOR SWIFT
SHE WAS JUST SO STRONG AND IN
CHARGE, I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH
HER.
HER. REBEL WAS TELLING ME IN CAT
SCHOOL, AS A HUMAN YOU SWING
YOUR ARMS, IN CAT SCHOOL, YOUR
ARM AND LEG MOVE TOGETHER AND
WHEN SHE FIGURED OUT THAT LITTLE
TRICK TO BEING A CAT.
>> SHE’S BEEN WALKING LIKE A CAT
EVER SINCE.
EVER SINCE. >> SHE HAS BEEN WALKING LIKE IT,
BUT IT WAS REALLY COOL TO SIT
WITH THOSE LADIES.
>> AND YOU SAW THE FILM AS WELL,
AND YOU SAID IT’S PRETTY
FANTASTIC.
FANTASTIC. >> IT’S A COOL FILM, AND BEHIND
ME THERE WAS A SECURITY FORWARD
WHEN I WAS WATCHING THE
SCREENING, AND WHEN JENNIFER
HUDSON KILLED IT DURING THAT
SONG, I HEARD SNIFFING IN THE
BACK.
BACK. EVERY TIME SHE DOES IT, SHE
REALLY SLAYS IT IN THAT MOVIE.
IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE BROADWAY
MUSICAL, YOU’LL GET IT MORE.
PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED WHEN THEY’RE
CATTING AROUND, BUT ANYWAY, CATS
IS OF COURSE PRODUCED BY OUR
SISTER COMPANY UNIVERSAL