Dan Stevens has said Judi Dench’s reaction to Cats was “full of expletives”.

The actor, who stars opposite Dench in Blithe Spirit, relayed his co-star’s memories of the shoot on Tom Hooper’s live-action CGI remake of the classic musical.

• Read more: Cats review: weird and occasionally wonderful, this feline flick is no cat-astrophe

Recalling Dench’s attitude on set, Stevens told Yahoo! Movies she “was slightly in rehab from her experience with Cats, so it was just very, very funny listening to her de-brief from all of that.”

He added: “That seems to be my enduring memory of the shoot. She was still bemused by what had happened.”

When asked for specifics in terms of the way Judi Dench reviewed the film, Stevens said: “I don’t think I can repeat it. It was full of expletives!”

Having worked with Dench in the past, the actor also added that “there’s not much that gets her going like that, but she was pretty mad about the fur, I think.”

In a three-star review of Cats, NME said: “All things considered though, Cats does well to avoid a second mauling at the hands of the Internet meme mob.

“It might not be for everyone, but leave your cynicism at the door and you’ll find that there’s unexpected fun to be had here – despite the weirdness.”

Meanwhile, Cats star Jason Derulo said last year that he believed the film was “gonna change the world”.

The musician-turned-actor explained: “For the longest time, I was trying to figure out what’s the perfect first role. 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.”