Exclusive

Yes, Rebel Wilson Sniffed This Cats Co-Star’s Butt

Cats star Rebel Wilson dished to E! News about the moment she went full cat mode with one of her cast mates. Find out whose booty she sniffed below.

By kelli boyle Dec 13, 2019 7:20 PMTags
Watch: Rebel Wilson Sniffed Which "Cats" Costar's Butt?!

The cast of Cats took their jobs very seriously.

In an interview with E! News, Rebel Wilson and Robbie Fairchild revealed some of the hilarious antics the actors got into on set of the movie musical, one of them being a moment that perhaps got a bit too animalistic.

When asked if she ever, in a moment of method acting, sniffed the butts of her cast mates, Wilson revealed, "I did. I sniffed Sir Ian McKellen's butt." Yes, you read that correctly. Rebel Wilson smelled Sir Ian McKellen's butt.

As she continued, "Didn't smell that bad. I mean, that goes in my memoir, don't you reckon?"

All kidding aside, Wilson told E! News that working on the film was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience." As the Pitch Perfect alum gushed, "It's not often you get a cast assembled which has the world's best dancers in all different disciplines. Ballet, tap dancing, street dancing, contemporary dancers, parkour."

Watch
Jason Derulo Was "Bulging" in Lycra Suits for "Cats"

"And then some of the best singers in the world, like Jennifer Hudson," she continued. "Pop singers Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo. Legends of the screen like Dame Judi, Sir Ian McKellan, Ray Winston. I mean, everybody. Idris Elba...A couple comedians thrown in the mix."

Wilson also revealed some of their funny improvised moments made it into the final film. As Wilson said, "Sometimes we would have jokes, like when Jason Derulo was doing his number. Jason was amazing, but we'd be making up our own little dance, like deep in the background. So, if you look closely, you can see us doing little shenanigans."

The moments were so funny, the film's director couldn't help but crack up. "Tom Hooper, we'd make him laugh," she added. "And then, one take he puts the camera on us and then some of that gets in the film. You'll see it in Jason's number."

Universal Pictures

Wilson's co-stars Hudson and ballerina Francesca Hayward also dished to E! News all about the cat classes they had to take. (Perhaps that's where they got the idea to sniff each other's butts...)

As Hudson said of their feline studies, "The first thing on our minds was 'How are we supposed to be a cat?' And what is cat school? Once we got started it was a lot of fun, I learned a lot about cats and now I have a new found understanding and appreciation of cats. And I have two now, I sit and watch them and I feel like I can understand them." 

Watch: Jennifer Hudson Introduces "Cats" Newcomer Francesca Hayward

And what did she name those two cats? Why, nothing other than Grizabella and Macavity, of course, aka the names of her and Elba's characters in the film.

For her part, Hayward said she brought some of her cat lessons home with her. (Don't worry. It wasn't the butt sniffing.) The Royal Ballet principal dancer shared that once the film wrapped, "I think I started tapping people with a paw hand."

Suffice it to say this entire cast really committed to their roles.