Target Magazine April//May 2023

An end to
discord?
As James Corden’s hugely successful stint as
host of The Late Late Show draws to a close
this year, the ebullient Brit looks ahead
to future projects, with his three children
centre-stage.
18
It’s fair to say it’s not been a
year of perfect PR for James
Corden. Never one to shy
away from the limelight he
has skilfully positioned in front
of over the past two decades,
his retirement from presenting
duties on CBS staple The Late
Late Show coincided with a
rather unfortunate episode at
high-end New York restaurant
Balthazar – an impromptu
performance of culinary
discontent that earned him
a ban from the Manhattan
establishment, although the
44-year-old made peace with
irate owner Keith McNally.
So with an eye on mending
his reputation further, in 2023
he may well look to pursue
what has been a skilful run of
voiceover work on animated
projects, something that’s
understandable when you
consider his home life
revolves around wife
Julia and three children
- Max, 11, Carey, eight,
and Charlotte, five.
“Obviously I’m glad to
have maintained the
work I have,” he begins.
“Voice work is a lot
easier to slot in and I’ve
loved it as it works for
the time I’ve had in my
schedule. In this next
phase, I’m excited about
just really going after
something, rather than
having to try to squeeze
it in awkwardly.”
While Corden is
portrayed as someone
who has cracked the US
with a slightly brazen, arrogant
attitude, the truth could not
be much different. Even when
it comes to straight drama,
he expresses hesitancy and
caution. “I think people believe
that with modern filmmaking
anything is possible, and
everything can be made to look
good. Yet on so many occasions
you go through lines or rock up
on set with profound doubts
about a project. Even Peter
Rabbit felt like an absolutely
huge thing to take on.”
And while one would believe
Corden continues to earn
some serious cool dad points
with his focus on child-centric
entertainment, he admits
that often his brood couldn’t
care less!
“It glosses over them quite
quickly,” he says. “They don’t
really equate you doing a silly
voice in the front room any
differently to them hearing you
speak on the telly.
“If one day I’m Peter Rabbit
and the next I’m the Gruffalo,
and then next I’m in a car
driving around LA engaged in
a rap battle with Dame Helen
Mirren, then so be it, I guess!”