Which actress played Grizabella in the 2019 film Cats?

Jennifer Hudson played Grizabella in the 2019 film Cats. As the former glamour cat, Hudson performs the character's signature song, “Memory,” one of the musical's most recognizable numbers.

Cats is based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot and Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical, which premiered in London's West End in 1981. Grizabella is an older cat who has fallen out of the Jellicle community and longs to be accepted again. Her emotional performance of “Memory” becomes central to the story's decision about which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer.

Hudson was not the first performer associated with the role. Elaine Paige originated Grizabella in the West End production, while Betty Buckley played the part in the original Broadway cast. Judi Dench is another common source of confusion: she was originally cast as Grizabella for the stage production but withdrew after an injury and was replaced by Paige.