James Corden has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the world on his US chat show, and while he might not get starstruck by the likes of Tom Cruise, there are still some famous types who reduce him to “a 14-year-old boy”.
The Gavin & Stacey star admitted he’s often left in awe of Premier League footballers rather than the Hollywood A-listers who appear on his show.
During an appearance on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Thursday, James said: “The only people I genuinely get starstruck by are, like, Premier League footballers.
“If I meet Jesse Lingard or Declan Rice I become like a 14-year-old boy, more than Tom Cruise.”
He added: “That’s not to say I’m in any way blasé about it, but I went to a thing a couple of Christmasses ago and Gareth Southgate was there who I really love… and I couldn’t really talk to him… whereas I know what actors do.”
However, James did say there are “moments” during his Carpool Karaoke segment that still leave him in disbelief.
He revealed: “When we did the Carpool with Gwen Stefani, and George Clooney and Julia Roberts got in the back of the car together, I just felt a bit like I shouldn’t be driving this car, so I do have those moments for sure.
“But no-one would make me more starstruck right now than if I got to meet [West Ham manager] David Moyes.”
During the interview James did also address the continued talk around whether there will be another episode of Gavin & Stacey, did not offer much in the way of an update.
He said there still “aren’t any plans” to follow up the 2019 Christmas special, which ended with a cliffhanger as Nessa – played by Ruth Jones – proposed to James’ character, Smithy.
However, he did say it would “be a shame to leave it there”, adding: “It doesn’t feel like the end of a book, it feels like the end of a chapter, so I do feel like if we ever did another one that would be the end of it.
“My hunch is no-one will ever know if it’s coming until we’ve got it, but we haven’t had a single conversation about it.”
The Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Zoe Ball airs weekdays from 7am.