James Corden Felt “Deeply Unqualified” To Host “The Late Late Show” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

well very nice to have you here and. there is there is so much to talk about. because you and I uh share certain. experiences that I can't talk I can't. talk to a lot of people about this. meaning it's weird isn't it yeah I know. what you mean yes um we've both. murdered without conscience um and we've. never been C I think I think it's I. think the term is manslaughter I don't. think to be clear yours can I just say. yours was manslaughter yours was. actually mine was I thought about it for. a long.

it was murder straight out I thought. about it I got the tub I got the various. chemicals oh god wow this is really. taking a ticket now I am wary about. being C you should be wary you should be. wary um no we have a lot in in common. and then I you know I thought I'd start. with the obvious one which is we've both. uh hosted uh late night shows and it was. so interesting to me because I read a. quote from you once that could relate to.

a lot which is you said when you were. picked for The Late Late Show that you. thought well this is absurd I've never. stood on a monologue Mark I've never. interviewed anyone this shouldn't be. what's happening there was this sense of. gee I haven't done any of the things. that you're supposed to have been doing. to be a late night host but I thought I. had other qualities that would out in. the end yeah and then it turns out that. this very strict notion that we have.

here I mean these are really an American. invention these shows I think this. really strict notion of what a a late. night host had to be changed a lot I. think when I think about back when I. started in amongst an. entire an entire outof body experience. of feeling just unbelievably out of my. depth and deeply unqualified to do such. a thing but I think I just was not. completely aware of the the the the.

history of the form in a way I I I read. when I got the job I read all the books. which you know you're very very heav. much written about in lots of the bill. Carter books and things like that and I. read them all and I would was like. reading them thinking this is nut you. shouldn't be reading any of this this is. so silly to be reading this it is so it. is so uh foolish to be reading books. about basically basically when you host. one of these shows you're going in to be.

yourself and create an environment where. you're happy and you're doing your thing. so the idea that you'd be studying for. it you can't bone up on any of this. there's no school for it you just have. to do it and then increasingly find the. things that you love to do do those keep. doubling down on that and you did that. when it was fantastically successful. well that's I really remember quite. vividly a sort of light bulb moment. where we only had uh I think we had 11. weeks to put our show together build a.

set get a team together writers all. these things segment producers and and. all this stuff so there was really not a. lot of time to think about it to sort of. existentially and then I would spend a. lot of we you know we we couldn't really. book any guests on the show because all. publicists were just going well. understandably we're going well we're. going to wait and see see what the. show's like and then we'll book them and. we would be like I don't know that we. have that time because we were we were. going to follow Letterman's last I think. two months maybe seven week.

and then we were following like repeats. of Hawaii 5 through the summer it's my. dream to follow a repeat of Hawaii 5 it. was actually one of my funniest BS we. used to do where we'd follow like Hawaii. 5 or or shows of that ilk and so we'd. start episodes through the summer with a. mock episode of talking Hawaii. 5 and we would just discuss what. happened in that episode and then. sometimes cuz theep the episode would be. from like 5 years ago and we'd managed. to get we'd find the guy who played like.

the guy at the news stand fantastic and. we'd be like how was you know so any we. knew we had this little bit bit of time. and I was just sitting thinking God and. it's a strange thing about how you could. sort of change your your your just your. attitude really to to how something's. going where I would sit and I think God. nobody nobody knows what no one no one. knows what I can do nobody knows nobody. knows what we could do no one knows what. this show is and then you just have a. moment where you go oh hang on wait. nobody knows what I can do.

nobody knows what I'm capable of and. nobody knows what this show. is oh wow all the things that I thought. were negatives just suddenly became. positives so it was like well it doesn't. matter then it it boggles my mind how. people manage to wherever you place. someone in the world or whatever. situation you place them in if they're. meant to do something I have this theory. that like a salmon swimming Upstream. they will figure that out you have a. moment when you're a kid where you very.

much realize cuz then you have two. sisters that's right and your sisters. are very funny charismatic oh I'm the. quietest my entire family no one can. ever believe that what's your moment. when you you you're looking at do you go. to the theater where do you go where do. you see it is it television or theater. where do you look and say that what is. because I've I remember my moments when. I'd say what is that I want to be doing. that well it's it's less so about seeing.

something what a real big memory of mine. is I can remember that I I was four. years old and my we used to we were. savish Army family so we used to go to. church of the Salvation Army and uh. which is you know a thing in of itself. which we'll unpack another day and um I. have to be honest with you I don't know. what a Salvation Army Salvation Army is. kind of different in America than it is. in in the UK where basically and when. you like any church um that you're born. into you think it's completely normal.

that on a Sunday your parents put on a. uniform and you go down to church and. then you March through the town uh while. your mom sings in the choir and your dad. you know is playing in the band and this. is just completely normal yeah we're. walking through the town this is what. everybody does and and it's the uniform. that we know here in the US cor. salvation uniform it kind of looks a. yeah it looks like a police it looks. like a police uniform and your parents.

are wearing it and your mom's got a. bonnet on and then you'll go to the. morning service you'll rush home eat uh. roast dinner which is essentially what. you Americans do on Thanksgiving you'd. eat that every Sunday good until you. can't breathe and then you'll go back at. night and do it again and there's a. brass band and all this stuff it's. absolutely absurd but when you're like. four five six seven up until I was like. 13 14 I was like.

huh so when you say weekend you mean. you're not you're playing like soccer or. anything these nothing zero but well I. love the assumption that you think. everyone else is well it's the weekend. so I guess your father is going to dress. up completely like a Corporal and bang. on a drum and sing Onward Christian. Soldiers as you walk through the town. yeah that's that's we're all doing that. right guys it's funny I grew up I grew. up very Catholic and uh I just.

remembered thinking well this is what. people do we go to church and then um. these magic tricks are performed where. the a cookie is turned into the body and. blood of Christ and there's there's. incense and uh Chimes are ringing and uh. and I and and I I just assumed that this. is what everybody does and then you're. realizing oh no yes there are there's a. large number of Catholics but uh no not. everybody not everybody's watching this.

Las Vegas act every weekend correct. that's it so and but I say that I don't. say that with disrespect I have the. greatest respect for Las. Vegas and Sig freed and Roy were your. pastors right yes they were until. unfortunately the well you know you know. what happened four years old four years. old my sister's being christened which. is the the equivalent of sort of being. uh you know I I get yeah Christen you. call it Christ right in churches so. she's being christened and the our. family is on the the the platform which.

kind of any other state parli would be a. stage and the Salvation Army officer who. the Vicor or the priest would said uh. all you know James he he can't really. see let's grab him a chair and he got me. a chair and I stood on this chair and. then suddenly I could see the. congregation of this church which was. probably 17 people in my head it was a. thousand sure and I looked out and then. I I just sort of like started pulling.

like a face and gets a little giggle and. then do something else and they Giggle. and then I remember turning around and. looking under my legs and they're all. cracking up laughing and I can remember. well the the weirdest thing is I. remember they feeling amazing and then. going back to join the congregation and. sitting between my elder sister and my. mom and you know I'm back in the sort of. the the rows of the church and there's. someone's back in front of me and I. remember thinking well this is boring.

compared to being up there up there is. better up there good down. here and from then on just became a. quest to be like up there and that was. it like I really really remember that. and then and then we would go to the. theater all the time like I when I was. sort of turned 11 I we didn't have we. weren we didn't have much money really. and but so I would i' never used to get. like birthday presents Christmas. presents I would just get theater.

tickets and we'd go and see you know. Starlight Express or or lay miserab or. the Phantom of the you know any of the. big running musicals and I just remember. sitting there just thinking well this is. the most extraordinary feeling I'm in a. room with 2,000 people this is this is. just magic this is amazing how how can I. be a part of this somehow in any way. shape or form this just feels completely. right in every way.