James Corden says 'intoxicating success' has made him 'a different person'
James Corden has candidly opened up about his two decades in television leading up to the much-anticipated return of Gavin and Stacey, sharing that he found his climb to stardom "intoxicating". The 46-year-old talent is back on BBC One this holiday season for Gavin and Stacey's ultimate finale, with familiar faces including Ruth Jones, Joanna Page, and Mathew Horne returning for the festive treat.
In light of the upcoming episode, James spoke about the monumental impact the cherished BBC show has had on his life, reports The Mirror. Reflecting on the journey, James shared: "When I think back to when we started the show, almost 20 years to the day, I couldn’t feel more like a different person really," noting the incredible rush of success the series brought him.
"Being part of the show, as soon as it started to become successful, was incredibly intoxicating. It was discombobulating because it seemed to go from zero to 10 very very quickly but I’ve only fond memories of that whole time. It changed my life in every way."
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Post-Gavin and Stacey, penned alongside co-star Ruth Jones, James' star continued to rise stateside as host of The Late Late Show with James Corden until last year, alongside high-profile hosting gigs at the Brit Awards, Tony Awards, and Grammy Awards. He also took on Hollywood with parts in movies like Peter Rabbit, Into the Woods, The Prom, and Cinderella.
James gushed about this year's Christmas special of Gavin and Stacey, saying: "I don’t think anybody when you start writing a TV show thinks you’ll be still writing these characters 20 years on, it’s nuts really. But I think when we finished the last special in the manner that we did, we knew that we’d very much left a door open."
He also shared his and co-creator Ruth's indecision about bringing the beloved series back for one final hurrah, admitting: "Ruth and I at various points had thought maybe we should do one, maybe we shouldn’t. But it’s such a privilege to be able to end a show on your own terms, like it’s not lost on us how fortunate we are to be able to do that."
This week, James confessed that he was moved to "tears" when Ruth made a surprise appearance at his 40th birthday celebration in Mexico. He told The Big Issue: "My wife organised a surprise birthday party for me in Mexico. Lots of my friends walked in with a mariachi band playing."
"And then my wife said there's one more person here. Ruth walked into the room and I just burst into tears. I couldn't believe she was there. It was so special."
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
