3 Things the Movie Cats (2019) Taught Me About Purrrsistence

Sure. The actors and directors and crew and choreographers and producers and assistants and investors and everyone who saw the trailer couldn’t have predicted that Cats (2019) would’ve been THAT much of a disaster… right?

In some ways, that movie still inhabits my nightmares. The image of Judi Dench licking herself will forever haunt me and I’m still not sure why Jason Derulo was there.

But I’m not here to talk about the quality of the film. It was unanimously considered a scandal in the musical theater and cinema community alike. It’s undeniably that has its flaws. I’m here to see what we can learn from the backlash, and how persistence can turn a financial flop into a cult classic.

1. When in doubt, use your clout

They say that all press is good press. When it came to this movie, that was very much not true. The cast was a HUGE hodge-podge of famous singers, dancers, and actors all coming together to recreate T.S.Elliot poems set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The plot of this movie is still unclear to me. Frankly, the musical itself is a disaster, to begin with, although people will fight me on that.

The one thing that piqued my interest was the star-studded cast.

Now I’m not saying you should be name-dropping to get a job. That can be crass. But if making a personal connection with your audience — or a hiring manager, potential client, or coworker — can be the closest to an otherwise shaky deal.

Using these connections can be a huge draw for some, and pushing your connections as a hail mary can sometimes be the key you need.

2. Failure can be your success

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you spin those that can make an impact on those around you. Staying positive and pushing through is the best way to handle failure of any kind. Sometimes, those failures can actually be a selling point.

When it came to Cats, they became notorious for their horrifying technical glitches and animation that was widely regarded to induce the uncanny valley effect. For most, that would deter them from watching.

While they did replace the initial release, they were also able to sell this glitched-up version to many independent cinemas where viewers WANTED to be spooked. Even now, in 2022, Cats is reaching cult classic status across the U.S. This re-framing has been Cats’ saving grace.

The same goes for your work. Taking risks in your personal branding is actually crucial to landing a job. Maybe you’re an acquired taste, but if you spin yourself correctly there WILL be an employer looking for you. Focus on your goals, and find the workplace that aligns with you. You’ll be happier, and so will they!

3. Know when to quit

The key to being persistent is knowing when to throw in the towel. After a terrible Box Office weekend, and its rising status as an utter disaster, Cats closed early in major global cinemas and was quietly tucked under the rug for mainstream audiences.

The major social media backlash was part of it, but honestly, when you get down to it, it was an experiment with new technology and it didn’t go as planned.

Think of all those celebrities — Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, James Corden, Rebel Wilson — who were involved in that CATastrophe. They might’ve let their dreams of Cats fame go, but they persisted in their careers.

Rejection is a huge part of any career, but especially in sales. You’ll have ups and downs on the daily, and sometimes you just can’t win them. And that is absolutely fine. It’s how you pick yourself up after that and purrrservere that defines you.

The truth is, while it was a complete and utter failure in so many ways, Cats left its mark, and you can too. If you keep going, practice and find a program that works for you, you can improve your skills and learn from your failures.

If you want to learn more about how to grow from failure, check out Uvaro’s Career Success catalog and find out how you can turn your mistakes into successes.