>> I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU FOR 18 MONTHS.
>> James: FOR 18 MONTHS, AND MY LIFE HAS BEEN POORER FOR IT.
>> IT'S SO DARK, ISN'T IT?
>> James: IT IS.
AND 'TIS MALL WHEN YOU DON'T SEE ME.
>> James: I KNOW.
AND I DON'T SEE YOU.
>> James: SUDDENLY, THERE'S A LIGHT IN THE STUDIO.
>> YEAH.
>> James: FOR ALL OF US.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, WE'RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU IN THE
STUDIO.
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS ABOUT YOU, PATRICK, THAT YOU HAVE A MANTRA
THAT YOU ALWAYS SAY BEFORE YOU GO ON STAGE IN FRONT OF AN
AUDIENCE, WHICH HAS BEEN MANY TIMES IN YOUR CAREER.
DID YOU JUST SAY IT THEN?
>> MM-HMM.
>> James: REALLY?
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT YOUR MMANTRA IS?
>> YOU'RE ALL GROWNUPS, HUH?
>> James: IN A WAY.
YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A REAL GROWNUP WOULD YOU?
>> James: NO.
GO.
>> OKAY.
I'LL MAKE THIS AS BRIEF AS I CAN.
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, DECADES AS AN ACTOR, I TRIED TO DO WHAT THE
DIRECTOR WANTED, AND I HAD SUCCESS WHEN I DID WHAT HE
WANTED IT AND I REPEATED IT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,
YOU SEE.
AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME.
I HAD A KIND OF EPIPHANY, AND I REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT GIVING
OF MYSELF AND THAT THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT BEING ON STAGE IS
THAT YOU ARE LIVING IN THE MOMENT, AND THAT MOMENT HAS
NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
THE AUDIENCE HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU DOING THIS BEFORE.
YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN FRONT OF THESE PEOPLE BEFORE.
SO, WHEN I'M STANDING, WAITING TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE, OR I DO
THIS SOMETIMES WHEN I'M ON CAMERA, TOO, WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT
TO ROLL ON A VERY IMPORTANT SCENE, AND I SAY TO MYSELF OUT
LOUD BUT VERY, VERY SOFTLY, I DON'T GIVE A ( BLEEP ).
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> James: IT'S SO GREAT.
IT'S SO GREAT.
>> JAMES, IT WORKS!
>> James: YEAH.
BECAUSE IT FREES YOU UP BECAUSE, FOR SO MANY YEARS, AND
EVEN THOUGH I WAS HAVING A QUITE GOOD CAREER, I WAS LIMITED IN
WHAT I WAS DOING BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO CONTINUALLY REPEAT
WHAT I THOUGHT THE DIRECTOR WANTED, INSTEAD OF MAYBE DOING
WHAT PATRICK WANTED.
>> James: SURE!
WELL, I LOVE IT BECAUSE YOU DON'T GIVE A ( BLEEP ) BECAUSE
TODAY'S YOUR EIGHTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND YOU'RE HERE WITH
US!
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> BUT I AM NOT GOING TO SPEND THE NIGHT.
>> James: NO!
( LAUGHTER ) BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS?
IS YOUR WIFE, IS SHE OKAY WITH YOU BEING HERE WITH US?
DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY?
>> SHE'S VERY, VERY HAPPY THAT I'M HERE.
I THINK OUR PLANS -- BECAUSE I GOT UP AT HALF PAST 4:00 THIS
MORNING TO DO A DAY'S WORK.
>> James: OH, WOW.
SO I'M NOT GOING TO BE MUCH GOOD AS COMPANY FOR THE REST OF
THE EVENING, SO IT WILL BE A LITTLE LATER NO THE WEEK THAT WE
CELEBRATE.
BUT SHE IS ALWAYS DELIGHTED I AM HERE TALKING WITH YOU, BUT I'M
AFRAID I HAVE TO SAY THERE IS ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL IN THIS ROOM
WHOM SHE HAS A HISTORY WITH AND WHOM SHE LOVES TO MEET AND SEE
WHENEVER SHE CAN.
STAND UP, PLEASE!
( APPLAUSE ) >> James: REGINALD LUCIEN
WATTS!
( APPLAUSE ) >> NOW, I ONLY LEARNED LAST
NIGHT THAT YOU WERE LUCIEN.
>> Reggie: YES.
AND MY WIFE IS ALSO A MUSICIAN, SINGER/SONGWRITER, AND
THEY KNEW ONE ANOTHER 20 YEARS AGO IN BROOKLYN.
>> Reggie: YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
AND THE NAME OF YOUR BAND WAS MACH TUBE AND SHE ADORES YOU.
>> Reggie: SHE'S WONDERFUL.
YOU'RE VERY LUCKY.
>> James: MAYBE YOU COULD REALLY MAKE THE WEDDING AND
VARIES.
YOU COULD GO AROUND AND SING A SONG, REG.
>> Reggie: OUTSIDE.
WE'VE GOT A STEINWAY, WE BOUGHT IT ONLY A FEW MONTHS AGO.
IT'S AN UPRIGHT STEINWAY.
>> Reggie: YEAH?
SO I THINK YOU WILL BE CONTENT WITH THE INSTRUMENT.
>> James: IS THIS OKAY?
WILL THE BAND DO THIS?
WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM TO PLAY, WILL THE BAND DO THIS?
YOU HAVE THE WHOLE BAND.
THAT'S OUR GIFT FOR THE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.
THE ENTIRE BAND.
>> BY THE WAY, REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
>> James: ISN'T IT?
OH, GOD, I SUDDENLY FEEL SHABBY.
>> James: WELL, THAT'S WHY I WEAR IT.
( LAUGHTER ) THAT'S WHY I WEAR SUCH BEAUTIFUL
SUITS, JUST TO REALLY MAKE THE GUESTS FEEL INADEQUATE.
THAT'S WHAT I TRY AND DO.
( LAUGHTER ) >> OH, MY GOD IS THIS JAMES
CORDEN?
I DIDN'T KNOW!
>> James: THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
THAT'S IT.
PATRICK, I'M INTRIGUED BY THIS, BECAUSE DURING LOCKDOWN YOU
STARTED WRITING YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE PROCESS OF LOOKING BACK ON YOUR LIFE AND
CAREER?
>> JAMES, IT'S BEEN EXTRAORDINARY.
I'M NOT A WRITER.
I HAVE OCCASIONALLY WRITTEN 200, 300 WORDS FOR AN INTRODUCTION OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND I'VE HAD INVITATIONS TO WRITE
SOMETHING FULLER, AND I'VE ALWAYS TURNED IT DOWN, MOSTLY
BECAUSE I WAS WORKING, I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO DO IT.
>> James: SURE.
I'M NOT A WRITER!
ANYWAY, MY AGENT CALLED ME BACK, I THINK, IN MARCH AND SAID,
LOOK, THERE'S BEEN THIS OFFER, THIS PUBLISHING HOUSE WANTS TO
PUBLISH YOUR BOOK, AND THERE MAY BE NO OTHER TIME LIKE THIS ONE
FOR GIVING OVER TO WRITING.
I MOANED AND WHINED AND GROANED ABOUT IT AND SAID, OKAY, I'LL
GIVE IT A SHOT.
AND, UM, I HAVE, SO FAR, WRITTEN 274 PAGES, AND IT'S 1987.
( LAUGHTER ) >> James: OKAY.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE QUITE THE READ.
>> AND I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW GOOD IT IS FOR ME TO DO THIS.
MY CHILDHOOD WAS DIFFICULT, UNCOMFORTABLE, FEARFUL AT TIMES,
AND I'VE WRITTEN FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE AS OPENLY
AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THAT, AND WHY I'M AN ACTOR, ENCOUNTERS THAT
I'VE HAD, IT'S THERAPY, JAMES.
>> James: YEAH.
AND IT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING.
IN FACT -- >> James: IT PAYS YOU!
IMAGINE THAT!
WELL, I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.
I'M CERTAIN OF IT.