The musician was looking for his first movie.
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Jason Derulo, however, was simply impressed.
I thought I was an attractive cat, yeah, he tells me on a recent December evening.
I wouldnt want to take it home, but its pretty decent.
But even then, the best-selling musician with 11 platinum singles doesnt seem entirely at ease.
I tell him its an interesting challenge for a noncat lover to star in a movie about cats.
Becoming a cat is a lot easier than handling cats, I think, he says.
If we played inCatswith a bunch of cats, that would have been even harder.
I dont hate cats or anything, its just not my favorite thing to do.
Cats, pigeons, same thing.
BeforeCats, Derulo spent a few years looking for his first movie role.
Professionally speaking, he thought it would have happened earlier.
Im impatient, he admits.
The movie needed to be memorable if not immediately iconic.
He turned down a ton of scripts, he says, frustrated with everything his agents were sending.
Derulo auditioned for director Tom Hooper; he sang, dance, and did some improv.
The production called to offer him a part that day.
Not for any reason in particular.
Ive never seen anybody black play inCats.
Hell seduce anything with a pulse, lap up anyones cream.
Could the singer of Talk Dirty really meow dirty, too?
I think people really love [Rum Tum Tugger] because he exudes confidence, he exudes self-love.
He has a lot of different layers, Derulo says.
I did a bunch of character work for myself to figure out who he was to me.
(Yeah, I offer earnestly.)
I discovered musical theater [in middle school].
The fact that it married acting, singing, and dancing at the same time I loved it.
I went to college for theater.
I really took acting seriously, he says.
(Derulo demonstrated the skillonThe Kelly Clarkson Show.
Im gonna show my man that clip.
The cat-school lessons lasted for the entire film shoot, in both solo sessions and group classes.
Derulo even took his work home with him.
I wanted to dive super-deep into his character and his background but also embody a cat.
As a regular man day-to-day, Im pretty in the pocket.
In terms of being super-flamboyant, its not really my usual personality.
But I can go there, you know what Im saying.
Especially after a couple drinks.
In these trying and stratified (cattified?)
I thought this was a great photo of myself.
Like, people will like this, he says.
I didnt think this shit was going to blow up.
I promise I did not at all!
It was very early in the morning.
And I thought it was a great photo of myself, Im not going to lie.
I didnt even think it was going to be my most liked photo.
I mean, Ive got pictures with Elton John.
After the photo wasremoved, he says, his personal photographer met with Instagram to discuss the reasoning.
I was like,Why you taking my photo down?
I was like, It was not cold outside.
I was not shriveled up.
[The TMZ photographer] was like, Well, did you have a semi?
I was like, Imighthave had a semi.
The wordsemiis the reason why they decided not to put my photo back up, apparently.
The cat within myself is Rum Tum Tugger, he says definitively.
Listening to him talk about the DMs he received postBali pic makes that seem extra true.
They were insane, he says, his voice lowered.
Would Jason Derulo really take dates from DMs?
His inner Rum Tum Tugger flexes its claws: Oh, Id take dates from anywhere.
