BWW Exclusive: CATS Stars Robbie Fairchild & Rebel Wilson Gush About Meeting Judi Dench, Finding Comedy in a Classic & More!

Well, I am thrilled to be sitting with the two of you

Oh, thanks for having us. Look at you, film debut. This is a big deal

I'm sitting next to Rebel Wilson. Were you two friends on the set

I have a funny feeling you two are hooked together, right? Yeah, Robbie was my bestest friend that I made on set

I naturally just went, my eyes were drawn to his talent. Of course

In dance, in singing. I mean, I knew of his Tony nomination

I never saw, I wish I'd known you then because I never got to see an American in Paris

but I wish I, I've seen clips of it though because it was recorded

But yeah, God, he's so spectacular. He's so spectacular right throughout this whole film

But yeah, so it's great when you do a movie and find new friends from it

And this is Cats. Meow. No, this is like, you know, this is beloved

21 years in London, 18 years on Broadway. You ask people, they're like, oh, my favourite show, Cats

It's iconic. It is iconic. Anyone who's been to a musical has probably been to see Cats

It's been seen by like a billion people. It's huge and it's so iconic. So to be part of

the movie version really is, you know, for me it was a no-brainer being a musicals fan

What made it so special? It was like being on the set of like, you know, MGM, 20th Century, Universal

it was wild. The set was breathtaking. Everything was two and a half to three

times the size of us, so it would be cat scale. Yeah. Human ratio. And we were

playing around in the Gumby kitchen. That was where her scene took place and I was

sitting on this chair that probably as tall as the ceiling thinking to myself if someone asked me what I did today I would say I pretended I was a cat singing and dancing on wires playing around with Rebel Wilson

Like, when is that ever your reality? Yeah. It was wild. And I loved the freedom that we had to be inventive as well

So obviously the stage show is so iconic. But when I showed the show, I never remembered my character in it

because I saw it when I was young as a student in London. And so I loved that, like, I got to put dialogue jokes in

and we had some dialogue scenes that aren't at all in the stage version

And to me, it was a real challenge to try to get some comedy out of Cats

and out of that source material. And then I would even improv a bit with the music

and then suddenly I'd turn and I'd see Andrew Lloyd Webber, like, in the shadows going..

But musical fans, look out for my Phantom of the Opera musical joke

Oh, for sure. Wink, wink. Biggest pinch me moment for each of you

I think it was when Dame Judi Dench is walking down the cobblestone streets

Dame Judi. And I'm the next in line to take her place. And so I'm kind of her right-hand man

And to just get to bow as she's walking, and then while we're singing

and that moment was so surreal. so surreal you're literally bowing before royalty and she's just such an unbelievable human and

talent and it was really wild yeah i got to sit next to dame judy one day in rehearsals and was

like like i mean she's beautiful she's the most gorgeous thing ever um for me there's so many

memories but like um doing cat school with sir ian mckillen um and rolling around on the floor with him pretending to be a cat Pretty epic And then I was there for the day

They didn't want me in the scene probably because I pulled focus. When Jennifer Hudson sings

God, I got to see a couple of takes of that. And I was floored

And that probably was like the 40th time she'd sung it that day. The whole room vibrated

And was just floored by her voice. Finally, what will it take to get you to Broadway

And if you came to Broadway, what would you like to do? You know what? I even did a workshop for something

and I don't think it's going to happen now. I'm a bit upset about that

because I feel like it would have been great, but I can't say what it was

But I'm... Damn it. No, I can't say what it is. It would have been perfect

But I don't know. I would love to. Obviously, I started my career in the theatre

and I have done some original musicals in Australia. But yeah, and I've done The West End

but I haven't done Broadway and I'm desperate to do it. I already have a place in New York

Like, it's not going to be that difficult. That's a no-brainer then

We're going to get you there. Yeah, so it's got to be the right thing. And I did, a director came to me the other day

and said, you know, I want to take over quite a good role that's on Broadway right now. But I'm like, I want to originate

Good. So I turned that one down. But yeah, hopefully I'll see you soon because, yeah, I love it

There's, we went to see Sir Ian McKellen last night on stage here

and he talks intensely about his love of theatre and Robbie and I were saying we have that

We both also have that, that passion for live performance and that special magic between the performers and the audience just on that one given night and how present it is and with all the technology going on it that live performance you can um you can replace it

yeah it's so true tonight is a magical night where i choose the cat that deserves a new life

Going to the ball could get dangerous. Come on

Let's dance! I judge a cat by its soul. I've got plenty of soul

Spotlight. And a drum roll, please. Milk! It's party time. Don't mess with the crazy cat lady

Now it is time to make the choice. Right, well, that's not going to work, is it

That's what I say to you. Cross pause. Come, we're about to begin

I love it