James Corden’s Dad Wrote a Letter to a Critic Who Called His Son ‘Irritating’
James Corden is best known as the genial host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, but those fans who follow his career know that the celebrity has a wide variety of interests. From producing to acting, Corden has his fingers in many Hollywood pies – and while there are many who love his work, some have occasionally had negative things to say about the star’s projects.
Through it all, Corden’s parents have his back, and after one particularly scathing review of Corden’s work in the 2018 film Peter Rabbit, Corden’s father went out of his way to pen a letter defending his son.
James Corden lent his voice to the animated feature film ‘Peter Rabbit’
In 2018, Corden lent his voice to the character of Peter Rabbit in the animated film of the same name. An adaptation of the classic children’s stories, Peter Rabbit also included the voice talents of Margot Robbie, Sia, Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne, and Daisy Ridley, as well as live-action performances from Sam Neill and Felix Williamson.
According to IMDb, the film was modestly successful, grossing around $350 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million. While many fans loved the film and found a lot to love in the animated characters, there were a few critics who didn’t like Corden’s performance as the title character.
James Corden’s father defended his son’s work after a bad review of ‘Peter Rabbit’
Film critic Mark Kermode was one high-profile personality who didn’t like Peter Rabbit, saying that fans who loved the original story would be “appalled” at the retelling. He called out Corden’s voice role, in particular, claiming that the movie should have been called “irritating rabbit voiced by James Corden.”
Corden’s own father, Malcolm Corden, took issue with the way Kermode described his son, and in a video on Kermode’s YouTube channel, the personality discussed the letter that he received from Corden’s father, following his review of Peter Rabbit. Kermode’s co-presenter Simon Mayo read the letter out loud, quoting it as saying,
“To hear you describe our son as appallingly irritating … was very difficult to listen to. I’m sure you will agree that as parents we are the only ones who have permission to describe our own offspring as appallingly irritating … one sincerely hopes that you never have to hear someone else describe your children as such, especially live on air and especially as it seemed James was the only one drawn out for any criticism.”
In the end, Corden commended the hosts for their “excellent broadcasting skills,” showing that he didn’t have any personal problems with the broadcast personalities.
What other movies has James Corden appeared in?
If the reviews bothered James Corden, he didn’t let on. In fact, he reprised his voice role as Peter Rabbit in the 2021 sequel. He appeared in several other films over the years that followed, including the 2019 film Cats (which was also critically panned) and The Prom, which was better-received.
A film aficionado himself, it is likely that Corden will be appearing in even more movies over the next few years since he recently announced that he would be stepping away from The Late Late Show in order to focus on other projects.
A comedian and writer as well as an actor and host, Corden might have his detractors – but there are certainly many pop culture fans who appreciate the obvious enthusiasm that he brings to every project he tackles.
