USA TODAY International Edition
Michelle Obama suits up for dodgeball
Former first lady leads U.S. squad against James Corden’s U.K. team
James Corden’s dodgeball matchup against Michelle Obama could create an international incident, but it’s more likely to result in fun and laughter.
“The Late Late Show” host Corden leads a United Kingdom all-star team against the former first lady’s American squad on the CBS late-night show Monday (12:37 a.m. EDT/PDT), the first of four shows Corden is hosting during a weeklong visit to London.
The visit, the show’s third in three years to Corden’s native land, also will feature him leading a doubledecker bus tour with Jessica Chastain, Sophie Turner and other “Dark Phoenix” stars; competing against Chris Hemsworth to determine who would be a better restaurant employee; and staging his latest “Crosswalk the Musical,” a “Les Miserables” adaptation, on a side trip to Paris.
As for dodgeball, Corden doesn’t mince words about his own ability in the sport, which was first featured on the show in 2015 when he and One Direction members played as Corden’s Angels. They lost.
“My dodgeball skills leave a lot to be desired,” he concedes.
When asked about Obama’s skills, he offers a philosophical answer. “Is anyone good at dodgeball, really? Is it a thing you’re good at or is it a thing that you just happen to be in the right
place at the right time?”
Obama was a big influence before even getting to the dodgeball court. Executive producer Rob Crabbe credits her with helping attract an all-star field that includes Melissa McCarthy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Styles, Kate Hudson, Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Lena Waithe and John Bradley of “Game of Thrones.”
“Luckily, when you’re doing a sketch with Michelle Obama, a lot of people are eager to say yes,” he says. As for her game performance, “She was fantastic and she has such a good energy.”
Corden, 40, welcomes the chance to return to London.
“It will always be home and so it’s a very lovely and special thing to be able to travel like that with a show like this,” says Corden, who finished the U.K. pre-tapings just before President Donald Trump’s recent state visit.
“It’s weird seeing him with the queen. What can they possibly be talking about?” Corden asks. “Is someone like, ‘This is Queen Elizabeth the 2nd,’ and then he’s like, ‘This is Melania the third’?”
As with the past visits, “The Late Late Show” is making the most of its foreign locations, starting with setting up the week’s tapings in a London church, just a day after Sunday services. (The week’s studio guests include Tom Hanks, Ian McKellen, Gillian Anderson, Millie Bobby Brown, Lily James, Michael Sheen and Louis Tomlinson.)
The show then hits London’s streets for Corden’s celeb-packed bus tour. “There are star tours in LA, but they don’t exist in London and the thinking was: What if we did a star tour for the stars and what if it was called James Corden’s Star Star Tour: The Tour That Takes the Stars on Tour?” Corden says.
“The Late Late Show host will act as a travel guide, but be wary of his travel descriptions.
“It was nice to have James in his element in London, although I don’t think the tidbits he’s giving them about the architecture of London will prove to be very factual,” Crabbe says. “It will be funny, I hope.”
Corden also took a side trip to Paris for an installment of his popular segment, “Crosswalk the Musical,” a literal street performance the show has produced in Los Angeles, New York and London. This time, Corden will perform songs from “Les Miserables.”
“It may be one of the most ambitious things we’ve done to do ‘Les Mis’ in front of the Arc de Triomphe,” Corden says.
Just don’t expect any Carpool Karaoke on this trip.
“We don’t like to do it too much and we just did it with Celine Dion” last month, says Corden, whose passengers have included Paul McCartney (filmed during last year’s U.K. visit), Adele, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. “It’s taken everybody by surprise, how big that is, so we have to protect it in a way that every time we do it, it feels like the real thing. Like, oh, wow, McCartney!”
Don’t worry, though. There are many great performers Corden still hopes to take for a spin. “Paul Simon, Springsteen and Beyoncé. Taylor Swift. Kanye. The list is endless.”