Judi Dench, who played Old Deuteronomy in Tom Hooper’s “Cats,” is reflecting on the universally panned film in her forthcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?”

Released in 2019, the film adapted Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely successful musical of the same name. But despite its stacked cast — which also included James Corden, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and others among Dench — the film was considered a critical and commercial flop.

“Oh God, I can’t bear it – and [Lloyd Webber] had waited so long for it to be made,” she wrote. “What a waste of all that goodwill and talent. I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film. I never saw the final cut so I can’t judge. All I’ll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film. You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party.” (Dench was nominated for a Razzie award for her performance in the film.)

She also added, “It’s a miracle that anything is ever made – films, plays, TV – let alone turn out to be a success, because there are so many moving parts,” speaking about the industry at large.

“Sometimes things just don’t work out: the timing’s wrong, the cast don’t gel, the elements don’t coalesce. But people’s intentions are mostly honorable. There were no villains in the making of Cats. And if something isn’t a success, then there are always things you can say you’ve learnt.”

“Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?” hits shelves Nov. 3.