The late-night host enlists the help of
Reese Witherspoon,
Oprah Winfrey,
Mindy Kaling and Storm Reid to perform to a live movie audience in Los Angeles.
James Corden is ready to change the way audiences see movies by introducing the new evolution of filmmaking: Four dimensions. During Monday night’s The Late Late Show, Corden explored “real people acting out the movie live in front of a movie audience,” enlisting the help from the star-studded cast of A Wrinkle in Time.
While moviegoers were watching an advanced screening of the film at The Grove in Los Angeles, Corden’s image appeared onscreen as a surprise. “You are probably wondering what happened to the movie you’re watching… but what you don’t know is that tonight you have purchased a ticket to the future,” Corden explained, before later introducing himself “live,” along with the film’s stars Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey and Storm Reid, all dressed in character.
“It’s weird being in a theater and not giving away cars or anything. I’m not used to that,” Winfrey joked in her backstage interview. Meanwhile, Kaling quipped that their surprise performance was simply a "bad school play but with adults."
Throughout their performance, Corden acted as the film's narrator, instructing the actresses to perform various scenes from the film. In one scene, Corden asks the stars to spin as if they are journeying into a wrinkle in time, something Winfrey didn’t find amusing: “You know what I had to do on Colbert? Nothing. Just sit there, talk about the movie. You know what I had to do here?”
After completing the first scene, Corden took the actresses backstage, questioning who among the cast can give an “uplifting, inspiring, motivational speech,” referring to Winfrey’s recent acceptance speech during the Golden Globes. In other comical moments of the performance, Corden dubs Witherspoon as “America’s sweetheart” and instructs the actress to continuously repeat her title in the mirror, until she begins to grow too enthusiastic. “America’s fucking sweetheart,” Witherspoon yelled, then punching Corden in the face.
Meanwhile, when Winfrey finds herself frustrated with the skit, she begins arguing with Corden.“You told me this was going to be Make a Wish for a sick child,” Winfrey tells Corden, as the late-night host then argues: “Well it is my wish and I have a childlike spirit and I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”
After concluding their live performance, Winfrey revealed that the act was her “proudest" moment. “Really?” Corden excitedly asks, only for Winfrey to bluntly respond, "No."