James Corden Is Difficult And Obnoxious, Says TV Director
Craig Duncan worked with James Corden once 10 years ago and has been disgusted by the late-night host ever since.
James Corden’s 8-year-long tenure on The Late Late Show is coming to an end this month, to the tune of thunderous applause from the many fans and industry insiders who seem to find him insufferable. One television director in particular, Craig Duncan, had some choice words for the Cats star, referring to him as “The most difficult and obnoxious presenter I’ve ever worked with.” According to a write-up in AV Club, Duncan worked with Corden during a 2013 episode of the comedy panel series A League of Their Own, leading to Duncan recounting Corden’s difficult nature on the set and hoping to never work with the actor again.
James Corden has long been in the crosshairs of public scrutiny, with some even suggesting that he plagiarizes from other comedians and late-night hosts. When the news was announced that he’d be ending his reign on The Late Late Show, the prevailing sentiment across the internet seemed to be less bittersweet optimism for his next move and more “goodbye and good riddance” with tales of his obnoxious behind the scenes behavior rivaling those of Ellen DeGeneres.
Though James Corden has a few big tricks up his sleeve for his Late Late finale next month, including a Lion King musical event featuring Top Gun: Maverick‘s Tom Cruise, the Carpool Karaoke magnate doesn’t appear to be getting the flowers he may have hoped to receive. Craig Duncan specifically recalled Corden being 45 minutes late to set, rude to the A League of Their Own staff, and dismissive of notes and critiques of his performance on the show. Though the interaction happened over a decade ago, the director maintains a nearly photographic memory of the encounter due to his frustration working with Corden during the shoot.
Ironically, Craig Duncan recalls not being especially excited to work on the show to begin with, citing the series as garbage, though he makes a special point to reconcile that he respects the hard work and time commitment presented to the show by all the laborers involved, including writers, light and sound engineers, and the actors on the set. By Duncan’s contrast, James Corden had no respect for the writers, harshly critiquing the material brought before him and forcing last-minute rewrites, and disrespecting the on-site television staff by arriving so late.
Finally, Duncan recalls James Corden telling him how to do his job, resulting in the director eventually throwing up his hands and relinquishing his vision to appease the Late Late host. Craig Duncan has since moved on to direct for British television series, while James Corden’s star has continued to rise as both the host of the late-night program and as a performance in several notable films such as Trolls World Tour, Ocean’s Eight, and Peter Rabbit. With Corden leaving The Late Late Show in the past, it seems that his next career move will see him focus on more acting work, but don’t expect him to pop up in any Craig Duncan productions any time soon.
