Jason Derulo thought Cats would “change the world”

If you haven't seen 2019's Cats yet, gather a few friends together on a video call and watch it together — it is regarded as one of the worst films of the century for good reason, but it's also baffling to such a degree that you need other people you can turn to and say "Did you just see that??" It's doubtful that many people involved in the film's production knew how big of a critical and financial disaster it would be, and Jason Derulo, who starred as Rum Tum Tugger, was certainly one of them.

"I thought it was gonna change the world," Derulo said of the film during an interview with The Telegraph, adding that he was taken by the film from the jump. “Even when I saw the trailer," he said, "I got chills down my spine!" Same, but I think it was the CGI that caused it.

Cats was Derulo's first film role, and in his defense, it certainly made sense on paper for him to star in an adaptation of a global smash hit musical directed by Oscar-winner Tom Hooper. “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 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 scored a hit this year with "Savage Love," a song that sampled a TikTok-famous beat by producer Jawsh 685. While Derulo isn't running away from his role in Cats, his co-star in the film Taylor Swift made everyone forget she had anything to do with it by releasing a new album called folklore.