James Corden on Kanye, Cats & Doing an American Accent

THANKS FOR COMING. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE. IT'S LOVELY TO BE HERE. Jimmy: SAY WHEN YOU CAME OUT IN THIS BEAUTIFUL SUIT FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT OH, I - OH, I DIED AND THE ANGEL HAS COME TO TAKE ME. THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. A KIND OF MINT ANGEL. Jimmy: YES. I HATE TO TELL YOU. YOU HAVE DIED. Jimmy: Oh. AND THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN. Jimmy: IT COULD BE WORSE THAN THIS. THAT IS SURE. WORKED TODAY? DID YOU PLAY A SHOW TODAY? WE DON'T FIX A SHOW. I'M DOING...I JUST STARTED...I'M FILMING A FILM IN THE MINUTE, SO WE'RE NOT ON OUR SHOW TODAY.

I WILL BE BACK TO THE SHOW ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. AND THEN WE HAVE GUEST HOSTS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. Jimmy: YOU'RE VERY BUSY. WHAT FILM ARE YOU FILMMING RIGHT NOW? A MOVIE CALLED "THE PROM" JUST STARTED. IT'S A MUSICAL WRITTEN BY... IT'S DIRECTED BY RYAN MURPHY. Jimmy: OH, WOW. AND IT'S ME, MERYL STREEP, NICOLE KIDMAN. Jimmy: OH, THEY ARE SO GOOD. ANGIE REYNOLDS. KERRY WASHINGTON. YEAH. IT'S TOTALLY TERRIFYING. IT'S SOMETHING TERRIFYING. Jimmy: WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING IN THIS? I PLAY A CHARACTER CALLED BARRY WHO IS A BROADWAY ACTOR AND STRUGGLES WITH LIFE AT THE MOMENT.

DOES BARRY HAVE PROBLEMS? I FEEL TOTALLY TERRIFIED. Jimmy: WHY? BECAUSE I SIGNED UP TO DO IT IN LIKE FEBRUARY, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY EXCITING. I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS MOVIE WITH MERYL STREEP AND NICOLE KIDMAN. AND NOW I'M LIKE... I'M LIKE WHAT AM I DOING? I HAVE A JOB. DO THIS. SO, I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. I HAVE THIS. WHY AM I DOING THIS FOR? Jimmy: WHAT ANNOYS YOU THE MOST ABOUT THIS? LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS. WELL, THERE'S A LOT. I'M IN A LOT OF SCENES WITH MERYL STREEP, AND THAT'S ALWAYS TERRIFYING BECAUSE YOU KNOW, I'LL HAVE TO TAKE HER IN EVERY SCENE.

BUT MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE FIRST TIME I DO AN AMERICAN ACCENT. So I'm playing an American. AND THAT'S... THAT'S FILLING ME WITH SOME FEAR. Jimmy: NOW, WHEN HE SAYS "AN AMERICAN," THAT'S NOT A PREVIEW, SO THAT'S NOT A PREVIEW OF HIS AMERICAN ACCENT, RIGHT? YES, IT IS. Jimmy: WE'LL HAVE TO WORK ON THIS. VERY WELL, LOVES, I'M AMERICAN. [ LAU Jimmy: DO YOU HAVE A COACH, AN ACCENT COACH? I HAVE AN ACCENT COACH AND HE'S WONDERFUL. BUT I WOULD SAY MY BEST ACCENT COACH IS ACTUALLY MY SON, MY 8 YEAR OLD SON. Jimmy: Oh. BECAUSE HE MOVED HERE TO AMERICA OBVIOUSLY WITH US.

IT DIDN'T MOVE BY ITSELF. HE DIDN'T JUST SAID MOM AND DAD - Jimmy: AN AMAZING BOY. HE SAILED HERE ALONE. NO, SO WHEN WE MOVED, HE WAS 3 YEARS OLD WHEN WE MOVED. AND HE HAS THIS AMAZING THING WHERE HE TALKS WITH A BRITISH ACCENT TO ME AND MY WIFE AND AN AMERICAN ACCENT TO ALL HIS FRIENDS AT SCHOOL AND HIS TEACHERS. AND BETWEEN PRAYER TO PRAYER. SO HE WOULD LIKE TO GO: "DAD, CAN WE GO TO THE GARDEN?" And I say yes, of course, friend. AND HE SAYS, "KERRY, COME ON, LET'S GO OUT TO THE PATIO." Jimmy: I LIKE THAT.

I'M JUST HANGING WITH IT AND WAITING FOR IT TO TAKE OFF. Jimmy: NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE AN AMERICAN ACCENT, HE HAS A CALIFORNIA ACCENT, LIKE IT SOUNDS. OH, MY DAUGHTER WHO MOVED HERE WHEN SHE WAS 12, SHE IS THE MOST CALIFORNIA. SHE'S LIKE, "OH MY GOD." SHE'S 5 YEARS OLD AND SHE SAYS, "I'M GOING TO DO A JUICE CLEANSE." IS THIS GLUTEN FREE? Jimmy: KIDS REALLY INVENTED CLEAN JUICE, DIDN'T THEY? SURE. 100%. Jimmy: AT THAT TIME IT COMES IN A SMALL BOX. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THE "LATE LATE SHOW" NOW? HOW MANY SEASONS? WE HAVE BEEN ON THE AIR FOR 4 AND A HALF YEARS.

Jimmy: 4 AND 1/2 YEARS. YES. Jimmy: YOU DO A GREAT JOB WITH THAT SHOW. THANK YOU. Jimmy: AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT YOU: YOU DO MUCH MORE THAN JUST KARAOKE ON THE TRIP. BUT YOU HAD... YOU DID AN EPISODE, IF IT'S CALLED THAT, WITH KANYE WEST NOT IN A CAR. NO. WE WERE ON A PLANE. Jimmy: IT WAS A PLANE. WITH ALL HIS CHOIR of him. Jimmy: AND I'M VERY CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED. WHY ARE YOU CURIOSIOUS, JIMMY? Jimmy: BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN THE MIX WITH KANYE AND I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES - THINGS GO ACCORDING TO KANYE'S PLAN.

IT IS NOT GOD'S PLAN. KANYE'S PLAN. COMPLEX COMPANION. WELL, HERE'S HOW IT WAS. THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE THIRD TIME WE TRIED TO DO A KIND OF KARAOKE IN THE CARPOOL WITH KANYE. THE FIRST TIME HE ACCEPTED AND THEN HE CANCELLED A FEW DAYS LATER. OH, IT'S A SHAME, BUT IT'S OKAY. THE SECOND TIME KANYE CANCELED KARAOKE AT THE CARPOOL IT WAS SO LATE THAT I WAS DRIVING IN THE CAR ON HIS ROAD. WITH ALL THE CAMERAS. AND I RECEIVED THIS PHONE CALL SAYING IT HAS BEEN CANCELED. AND LITERALLY... I THINK HE BASICALLY TURNED OUT OF HIS HOUSE TO GO BACK TO THE STUDIO.

THEN...HE SENT ME A TEXT. I THINK I COULD HAVE SENT YOU A TEXT AT THE SAME TIME. DID HE SEND YOU A TEXT SAYING I WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE SHOW'S CHOIR? Jimmy: YES. AND HE CALLED ME TOO. ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON. Jimmy: YES, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. I guess he's just going through the J's on his phone. AND I THINK SO. IT'S LIKE WHAT IS IT, A TALK SHOW? IT STARTS WITH J. AND YES, COULD WE DO KARAOKE IN THE CAR WITH THE WHOLE CHOIR LIKE A BUS OR A TRUCK IN LA? AND I SAID YES, OF COURSE, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT, YE. AND HE SAYS, GREAT, LET'S DO MONDAY. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S HARD. BECAUSE WE NEED TO GET A TRUCK. AND LIKE PERMISSIONS. Jimmy: LOGISTICS IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT. THE CHOIR I THINK IS 150 PEOPLE. THIS FEELS... AND IT'S A SATURDAY AFTERNOON. BUT, NO, I THINK MONDAY WOULD BE GREAT. I'm like, okay. ALRIGHT. So I got to work. I called BEN, OUR PRODUCER. I CALLED ROB, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK ON THE SHOW. AND WE PROPOSE TO MAKE IT A REALITY. AND THEY THOUGHT THAT MONDAY WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THAT WAS SUNDAY.

MONDAY IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WEDNESDAY. WE ARE GOOD, THIS WE CAN DO. EXCELLENT. WE GOT PERMITS. WE DO THE THING. EVERYTHING. THEN WE TRY TO EMAIL PEOPLE TO FIND OUT THE SCHEDULE AND THE LOGISTICS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SHOW THAT NIGHT. NOTHING. WE ARE HEARING NOTHING FROM ANYONE. WEDNESDAY MORNING 11:00 A.M. SOMEONE SENDS AN EMAIL SAYING IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY. WE SAID YES, NO, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY. AND THEN... THEN HE WAS SILENT. AND THEN, AND THIS IS WHERE IT'S BRILLIANT. THIS IS WHERE IT'S BRILLIANT. THEN HE LEAVES, I WANT TO DO IT ON A PLANE.

AND WE'RE LEAVING, OKAY. EXCELLENT. YEAH. BUT YOU KNOW, WHY NOT? LET'S DO IT IN A SPACESHIP. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. AND TO HIS CREDIT HIM, TO HIS CREDIT HIM AND HIS TEAM - Jimmy: ALWAYS COME OUT LAST. GET THE PLANE. Even when I was driving there, I was on the phone with my dad telling him what we were about to do. AND MY DAD SAID, THIS IS AMAZING. AND I THOUGHT: IT COULD BE. BUT I'M STILL... EVEN WHILE I WAS GETTING ON THE PLANE I THOUGHT THAT AT SOME POINT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO GO, YES, NO, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY.

WE ARE GOING TO DO IT TOMORROW. AND THERE IT WAS. AND I HAVE TO SAY, OF ALL THE THINGS WE'VE DONE ON THE SHOW, AND I CONSIDER SO MANY THINGS WE'VE DONE AN ​​ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE, LIKE BEING ON THAT PLANE SURROUNDED BY THAT CHOIR SITTING WITH HIM, AND HE WAS IN A GREAT PLACE AND THE BETTER COUR UP, I WILL NEVER EVER FORGET HOW THAT CHORUS SOUNDED ON THAT PLANE. IT WAS SOMETHING AMAZING. AND I REALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME THING AND I WOULD NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER FORGET IT. IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT.

Jimmy: DID YOU GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS? YOU KNOW WHAT? I WAS CLOSE. Jimmy: WE WILL WORK ON THE COMMERCIAL. IT WAS CLOSE. Jimmy: JAMES CORDEN IS HERE. IT'S IN "CATS". WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. JAMES CORDEN IS HERE. IT'S IN THE MOVIE "CATS". I HAVE A PHOTO OF YOU AS ONE OF THE CATS. BE HONEST. WAS IT A NIGHTMARE TO GET INTO THIS HAIR AND ALL THESE THINGS? NO, NO, NO. ALL OF THIS IS COMPUTER GENERATED. SO EACH PIECE OF SKIN IS ADDED BY A COMPUTER. IT'S TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN USED IN A FILM BEFORE.

Jimmy: I DON'T BELIEVE IT. IS YOUR BEARD REAL? THIS IS REAL. Jimmy: THAT'S REAL. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHICH IS WHICH? IS THIS REALLY COMPUTER GENERATED? EVERYTHING. So when you shoot the movie, all you have, you have a kind of computer band around your head, you have dots all over your face, and then I was kind of huge... because my cat is a very big cat. , very fat. . AND AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM INCREDIBLE IN SHAPE. So I was in a big round CGI type suit that's also covered in dots. AND THEN UNDER THAT YOU HAVE A SUIT WITH THESE COMPUTERS.

SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE LIKE 50 PEOPLE IN ONE SHOT, THEY WOULD ALL BE CATS, ALL WITH STITCHES ALL OVER THEM, AND THEN EVERYTHING WAS TRANSMITTED TO 50 COMPUTERS AND THEN THEY ADDED ALL THE FUR, THE EARS, THE TAIL, EVERYTHING. He is VERY EXTRAORDINARY. Jimmy: IT SOUNDS AMAZING THAT THEY COULD DO THAT. IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE YOU DIDN'T NEED TO BE IN THE MOVIE. THAT'S CERTAINLY ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT, JIMMY, YES. HE'S STRANGE... LOOK, THE WHOLE THING, I MUST SAY, HAD THE... TEN DAYS OF WORK AS GOOD AS I HAVE ENJOYED BEING WITH TOM HOOPER AND EVERYONE WHO DIRECTED THE FILM.

SIMPLY I LOVED IT. BUT WE HAD LIKE ONE DAY IT WAS ME, TAYLOR SWIFT, REBEL WILSON, IDRIS ELBA, SIR IAN McKELLAN AND JUDI DENCH ALL FILMMING A SCENE TOGETHER. Now, that in itself is quite extraordinary. THEN WHEN YOU ADD THE LAYER OF EVERYONE PRETENDING TO BE A CAT, YOU REALLY CAN'T HELP FEELING LIKE YOU'RE ON SOME KIND OF HALLUCINOGEN. YOU'RE LIKE LOOKING AT JUDI DENCH AND SHE'S LIKE, AND YOU'RE LIKE. THIS IS -- Jimmy: SHE GENERALLY DOESN'T DO THAT. YOU REALLY THINK FOR A LONG TIME, ARE WE BEING PUNK? IS THIS REAL? Jimmy: CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE?

GAVIN AND STACEY, THIS IS A SHOW THAT REALLY MADE THEM FAMOUS IN THE UK. OH, YES. Jimmy: AND THAT SHOW CAME OFF THE AIR IN WHAT, 2010? MY FRIEND RUTH JONES AND I WROTE THE SHOW, YES, ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO. SO IT ENDED IN 2010. Jimmy: NOW YOU HAVE A REUNION SPECIAL AIRING ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THAT'S CORRECT. Jimmy: YOU PUT IT ON, YOU GOT LIKE 3 MILLION VIEWS FOR THE TRAILER IMMEDIATELY. AND THIS WAS STRANGE BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HERE EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW YOU. WELL, THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF THE UNITED STATES DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, THERE ARE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES.

EVERYONE IS DOING THINGS. IT'S AMAZING: SOMETIMES I HAVE TO REMIND THE TEACHERS AT MY SON'S SCHOOL, HOW THEY KNEW OTHER THINGS ARE HAPPENING. Jimmy: WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THAT. YOU THOUGHT THAT YOUR PRESIDENT, HE'S NOT GREAT, WE HAVE A PRIME MINISTER, HE'S AN IDIOT. IT'S HARD. Jimmy: ARE YOU GOING HOME FOR THE VACATION? YES, WE WILL BE BACK HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. Jimmy: SO YOU WILL BE HERE TO -- I WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE SHOW, YES. AND IF PEOPLE HATE IT, I'LL GET OUT AS SOON AS I CAN. Jimmy: IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

JAMES CORDEN, EVERYONE. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HIM IN "CATS" ON DECEMBER 20TH. AND EVERY NIGHT AS OUR SHOW FINISHES.