'Devastated' Nicole Scherzinger was snubbed for the 'Cats' movie

Nicole Scherzinger as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats directed by Trevor Nunn at the London Palladium. (Photo by robbie jack/Corbis via Getty Images)

Nicole Scherzinger has said that she was 'devastated' after producers of the new Cats movie refused to give her an audition.

Scherzinger played the role of Grizabella in the 2014 production of the show in the West End, but famously fell foul of director Andrew Lloyd Webber after she pulled out of taking the show to Broadway.

“That really upset me, I won’t lie about that,” she told The Guardian. “I was devastated.”

“I just wanted to be given a fair opportunity - then you can turn me down. Turn me down to my face, at least, and they didn’t.”

Read more: Rebel Wilson loved ‘polarised’ response to Cats trailer

The former Pussycat Dolls singer went on to say that she was 'comforted' by Lloyd Webber's wife Madeleine over the phone after not getting seen for the movie, adding that the Lloyd Webbers are 'like family' to her.

Lloyd Webber himself, however, who composed the celebrated musical famously called her 'an absolute t**t' in 2016 when she quit the show just prior to rehearsals starting on Broadway, in order to return to The X Factor a a judge.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 11: Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (L) and Nicole Scherzinger pose backstage following the press night performance of "Cats" as Nicole Scherzinger joins the cast at the London Palladium on December 11, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images) — Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nicole Scherzinger pose backstage following the press night performance of Cats (Credit: David M. Benett/Getty Images)

He told Economist Radio at the time: “I’m furious because I really believe she’s the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here.

“But never mind, there’ll be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony award.”

SEVILLE, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 03: Nicole Scherzinger in the winners room during the MTV EMAs 2019 at FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre on November 03, 2019 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/WireImage ) — Nicole Scherzinger in the winners room during the MTV EMAs 2019. (Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/WireImage )

However, come 2018, the pair had made up again, Lloyd Webber describing her as 'one of the most talented artists I’ve ever worked with' and 'a God given musical theatre actress' in a later interview with Billboard.

Grizabella, who sings the famous song ‘Memory’, is played by Jennifer Hudson in the forthcoming movie, directed by Tom Hooper.

Read more: New Cats trailer lands

She's part of a stunning all-star cast, including James Corden, Dame Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson and Francesca Hayward, the principle dancer at the Royal Ballet in her first movie role.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 11: Nicole Scherzinger bows at the curtain call during the press night performance of "Cats" as Nicole Scherzinger joins the cast at the London Palladium on December 11, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images) — Nicole Scherzinger bows at the curtain call during the press night performance of Cats (Credit: David M. Benett/Getty Images)

Per the official synopsis: “Over the course of a single night, a tribe of cats called the Jellicles make what is known as 'the Jellicle choice' and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.”

However, the first trailer for the movie, which arrived over the summer, caused something of a storm on social media, some dubbing it 'nightmare fuel'.

It's released in the UK on 20 December.

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