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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

James Corden ON Work-Life Balance, Family Struggles, & The REAL Reason He Left Late-Night

On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m joined by actor, comedian, Carpool Karaoke creator, and former host of The Late Late Show, James Corden.

James CordenguestJay Shettyhost
Feb 5, 20241h 39mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

  1. 0:00 – 3:16

    Intro

    1. JC

      Step out of a curtain and 400 people will go nuts. And you've got to remember the other side of this camera is a sign that says applause. The Tony and Emmy-winning actor.

    2. SP

      He was on TV screens for eight years.

    3. JC

      The man himself, James Corden. I went upstairs and I sat in his room, and I just went to him, "Uh, I need you to know that I haven't changed. I love you more than you will ever know." And he went...

    4. JS

      Before we jump into this episode, I'd like to invite you to join this community to hear more interviews that will help you become happier, healthier, and more healed. All I want you to do is click on the subscribe button. I love your support. It's incredible to see all your comments, and we're just getting started. I can't wait to go on this journey with you. Thank you so much for subscribing. It means the world to me. The number one health and wellness podcast. Jay Shetty.

    5. JC

      Jay Shetty.

    6. JS

      The one, the only Jay Shetty. James, it is truly a honor and privilege to have you here today, because I have to be honest with you, I've been a huge, huge, huge fan ever since Smithy and-

    7. JC

      [laughs]

    8. JS

      ... Comic Relief and-

    9. JC

      Oh, man

    10. JS

      ... I was at The Grove just a couple of weeks ago, and I was remembering how that skit started there.

    11. JC

      Yeah, that's where we shot it.

    12. JS

      You walk in... Yeah.

    13. JC

      Yeah.

    14. JS

      And you walk into one of the rooms and you're with the-

    15. JC

      Oh, man

    16. JS

      ... And so I've been such a huge fan from day one, and watching you and admiring your journey, seeing you go crushing it from the UK through to the US, and, you know, I moved to the US a few years after you did. But just getting to see the impact you had there, the amazing, amazing content that you've created. I'm a big fan of whether it's Spill Your Guts or Carpool Karaoke.

    17. JC

      [laughs]

    18. JS

      Like, every single segment-

    19. JC

      Thank you so much

    20. JS

      ... you guys produce. Such a huge fan. And so to be able to sit with you, and even the few moments we've just spent together off camera, I've already enjoyed your company. But I wanted to start off by just saying I'm a huge fan, and thank you for doing this. So-

    21. JC

      Oh, I'm a huge fan of yours

    22. JS

      ... very grateful.

    23. JC

      I think what you've done is, is really, uh, quite extraordinary actually. I, I really think... I think it's actually deeper than a, a successful podcast or show or book. I, I think what you've done really, I think, and I'm sure I'm certainly not the first person to say this to you, is you've created like a safe place for people to just talk about, to talk about mental health, health, everything. You know what I mean? Feelings, the depth that, that I, I think is, of course, we're more aware of today than we were a decade ago, and certainly a decade before that. And I think you're, you're a real big part of that, and I'm a real fan of the show, and it's given me a, a lot over the years. So it's a real thrill to be here, and I hope I can be deep enough to-

    24. JS

      [laughs]

    25. JC

      ... fulfill the needs required, you know?

    26. JS

      Well, for everyone, everyone who doesn't know, everything that James was saying to me off camera just now, I was like, "James, save it."

    27. JC

      [laughs]

    28. JS

      "I need you, I need you to say it again because it was, it was so... It was perfect." But James, I was thinking about this. I was looking at your journey, and I was seeing, like, you went from writing, right? Gavin & Stacey.

    29. JC

      Yeah.

    30. JS

      Amazing success. Gone to the West End, amazing success. Broadway, Tony Award, amazing success. Then moving off into late night, amazing success. And

  2. 3:16 – 10:22

    The Most "Disruptive" Path to Success

    1. JS

      there was something I was observing about you, and I felt that what I saw in you was someone who had the ability to continuously disrupt themselves, take risks, and innovate when it seemed like there was a clear path. And I wonder whether what's... The decision you've made right now is almost the same thing, that you've said, "I don't want the safe option. I'm willing to take the risk." Would you agree with that?

    2. JC

      Yes. I, I, I think so. I mean, it's r- really lovely of you to say that. There's, there's also misses in the middle of that.

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. JC

      Do you know what I mean? Like, I think it's very important to say that that curve could also be looked... Do you know what I mean? There's, there's as many misses as there is hits. You just want to keep that ratio as, as clean as you can, you know? In the sort of last sort of six months since finishing the show, and then the few months before that, after w- when we announced that we were ending the show, lots of people would say, uh, you know, they would ask why you're doing this, and why would you leave such a thing and such a contract and offer and all that, th- those things, which I c- I completely understand. I've always been able to separate work and life, and that the two, one shouldn't outweigh the other. Does that make sense?

    5. JS

      Yes.

    6. JC

      That, that actually you have to go, "Well, I know that for my career, Ruth and I could have..." Ruth Jones, who I co-wrote Gavin & Stacey with, which was a, a show that became successful in, in the UK. We, we could of c- of course have carried on writing that show and making more episodes of that show, but I don't know that that was, at the time, feeding our life. You know, it was, wasn't feeding mine. It wasn't feeding Ruth's. It was like, "We've done that. It's time to stop. We have to do something else." And then, you know, I, I love being in plays. I love being in the theater, and when I was in One Man, Two Guvnors or, or The History Boys, there was a path where you could say, "Well, I could carry on doing this," and there were moments or opportunities to perhaps go and do another play after that. But it was like, well, I don't know that that's gonna feed my life.

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. JC

      So I think the, the key from what... or what I'm trying to do is go, well, if my work is feeding my life and my family, then it's of benefit.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. JC

      And if it isn't, then it won't be.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. JC

      And I think some people perhaps often just look at their career as being the primary thing in their life, or the work is the thing, and I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do that, then I'm gonna do this, then I'm gonna do that. And you have to go, no, no, but, but how is that feeding your life and your soul-

    13. JS

      Mm

    14. JC

      ... and who you are as a friend, son, brother, husband, father, you know? And that's, that's the thing I think I've always thought about. So the decision to end the show had nothing to do with Not enjoying it anymore. It had nothing to do with it not being fun. Financially, of course, it was f- fantastic, but then it, it, it got to a point where I was like, "Is it feeding me and us as a family?"

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. JC

      "Is this environment what we want now? I don't think it is. Okay, well then we're gonna ... Then we're just gonna turn it over and shake it and see what it is the other side of that."

    17. JS

      Yeah.

    18. JC

      The thing I keep coming back to all the time in my, in my life a lot recently is just to constantly say, "Well, we don't know yet. We don't know. I don't know yet." I d- I can't tell you if it was a good thing or a bad thing to stop the show. I don't know. I will only know in a year or two years or maybe five years' time.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. JC

      Because you just don't know. You don't know at all. You know, in the same time that you might accept a, a role over here, and when you get that job, people are going, "Oh my God, this is the greatest thing ever," and you say, "I d- well, we don't know." You know?

    21. JS

      Yeah.

    22. JC

      Me and my friend Louis, v- very dear friend of mine, Louis, who moved to the ... moved to America to come and write on The Late Late Show.

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. JC

      You know, uprooted his family, moved ... Oh, oh, he didn't have a family at the time. Had two kids in the eight and a half years we were there. We wrote a TV show together which got picked up at Hulu. Oh, I wasn't gonna be in it. We just created this show. And then a, a few months later, we wrote two scripts and they really loved the first script. Then we wrote the second script and they said, "Look, we, we're just ... Th- we're not gonna make this show." Happens all the time. And we were g- I was really bummed, and my friend Louis said the best thing. He was like, "Look, if they'd have picked it up, it might have been the worst thing-

    25. JS

      [laughs]

    26. JC

      ... to have ever happened to us."

    27. JS

      Yeah.

    28. JC

      "We might have fallen out. We might have ... Who knows what would have happened."

    29. JS

      Yeah.

    30. JC

      "It might have been a disaster. We just don't know."

  3. 10:22 – 17:18

    Reasons Vs. Results

    1. JS

      There's something really beautiful that came out of what you said, this idea of reasons over results. Like you know your reasons.

    2. JC

      Mm.

    3. JS

      You don't know what the result will be, but you're sure about your reasons, and that's something we can all practice and take on. Like I think that's something everyone who's watching can apply, that you never know the result of your decision. You don't know how it's gonna pan out, but you can be sure about your reasons.

    4. JC

      Without question.

    5. JS

      And if you feel clear about those.

    6. JC

      And to recalibrate perhaps what success is.

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. JC

      And that's, I think, a big issue in a broader society. What is success?

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. JC

      Success is not this amount of money. It's not this amount of gold statues and trophies. You s- you, you know, you've got to look at it as a whole. It's really interesting, if you, if ... There, there are, there are numerous people who talk about the night that they won an Academy Award-

    11. JS

      Mm

    12. JC

      ... as being the loneliest night of their life.

    13. JS

      Mm.

    14. JC

      And, and, and yet for us looking in on that, you look and go, "Oh, my God, that's ... This is incredible. I would give anything to-"

    15. JS

      Why do you think that is?

    16. JC

      Because I think it's more ... The climb is the thing.

    17. JS

      Mm.

    18. JC

      The top of a mountain I, I think can be quite a isolating experience actually, and the climb to the top of it is ... And of course when you get there, it's amazing.

    19. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    20. JC

      'Cause you go, "Oh. Oh, my God, we did ..." You know what I mean? "We did it." It's like someone that takes a helicopter to, to the top of Everest- ... is not gonna have the same experience-

    21. JS

      Yes

    22. JC

      ... as a person who's climbed it.

    23. JS

      Absolutely.

    24. JC

      You're looking at the same view, but it's gonna be f- it's gonna feel very, very different.

    25. JS

      For sure.

    26. JC

      I also think it's, it's an incredibly, you know, t- to the anxiety of it, the, the, the, the fear of it, I can only ima- I don't know.

    27. JS

      [laughs]

    28. JC

      I'm not, I don't know. I can only imagine. And so I think because I think that what you realize is that the doing of the work and the-

    29. JS

      Yeah

    30. JC

      ... climb of it is the thing that is the most satisfying.

  4. 17:18 – 23:38

    Not All Efforts Get Rewarded

    1. JS

      said there were misses naturally in the journey that I laid out in the beginning. I wonder what were some of the most painful or tough misses, whether when you were younger, as you got older, what were the ones that you look to and say, "I'd love people to know about this or learn about this," because when you look at it from the outside, it is easy to see hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, but these are the couple that maybe would surprise us.

    2. JC

      Well, well, there's things that you, that you do that just naturally aren't very good.

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. JC

      That's the first. You know what I mean? There's things that you, you, you do, and they're not, they're not very good. Those things you, you understand why they didn't connect-

    5. JS

      Mm

    6. JC

      ... 'cause they're not very good.

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. JC

      You know? And I, uh, oddly, I don't feel a sort of sense of any disappointment in, in that really.

    9. JS

      Sure, yeah.

    10. JC

      Do you know what I mean?

    11. JS

      Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    12. JC

      I don't, because, because someone asked me once, 'cause I w- I was in that film, I was in that film Cats, right? Of the musical Cats, and, uh- And the, uh, uh, you know, I haven't seen it, but, like, by all accounts, not good [laughs] and didn't do very well. And someone said to me, "Oh, God, do you regret that?" I was like, "No, I'd do it again. I had a great time."

    13. JS

      Yeah.

    14. JC

      You have to separate sometimes-

    15. JS

      Mm

    16. JC

      ... your own experience and the outcome of a project because you can do things that do really well, but at that time in your life it was a disaster.

    17. JS

      Yeah.

    18. JC

      Do you know what I mean?

    19. JS

      Such a good point.

    20. JC

      And at the same time-

    21. JS

      That's such a good point, mate

    22. JC

      ... at the same time you can do stuff which isn't good-

    23. JS

      Yeah

    24. JC

      ... but actually you had a really great... You know what I mean? Like-

    25. JS

      No, I love that

    26. JC

      ... you know, if I... When we were shooting Cats, we had an afternoon, and I sat in this weird green suit with dots on your face-

    27. JS

      Yeah

    28. JC

      ... with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, and I wouldn't swap that for anything.

    29. JS

      Yeah, yeah.

    30. JC

      To literally sit-

  5. 23:38 – 35:50

    James' Big Transitions & Reflection Process

    1. JS

      Yeah. Walk me through what, like... Like, you've had all these transitions in your life. Walk me through what your reflection process looks like in your head, like, just for you personally. Like, it doesn't have to be systematic or perfect, just what is it? What do, what do you go through? Is it looking at going, "Well, am I helping my family? Am I taking care of them?" Is that the number one thing, or are there other things that go through your head? Because I feel like you've had to make some big transitions.

    2. JC

      Well, that's, that is a, that's-

    3. JS

      Yeah

    4. JC

      ... that's the number one thing.

    5. JS

      Yeah.

    6. JC

      "You're only as happy as your least happy child"-

    7. JS

      Mm. Well said

    8. JC

      ... is a wonderful saying which is without question true.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. JC

      There is, there is nothing that can happen in your professional life that will matter- If one of your children is unhealthy-

    11. JS

      Well

    12. JC

      ... s- un- unwell, either mentally or physically, it... this is irrelevant. So, so that's, let's park that-

    13. JS

      Yeah, yeah

    14. JC

      ... as a, as a given.

    15. JS

      Yes.

    16. JC

      Um-

    17. JS

      Very clear

    18. JC

      ... in terms of my reflection, I, I, I mainly I just think wh- like I'm so aware of time and the, and the, and the passage of time, and that this is, this is it, and you have to go, "Okay, well, now how do you really, really want to use your time?"

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. JC

      'Cause I think when I was hosting the show, I think I probably knew this at the time, but I recognize it more now, that I think I said yes a lot, perhaps to too much. Because I, I just loved... I knew I wasn't gonna host that show forever.

    21. JS

      Mm.

    22. JC

      I didn't want it to be the end of the book. I didn't want it to be the last thing I did.

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. JC

      So I didn't want it to be a shock-

    25. JS

      Mm

    26. JC

      ... when I finished the show and said, "Oh, I'm gonna go back to act again now."

    27. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    28. JC

      Because I was very aware that there was a lot of people watching that show who had no idea that I'd ever acted before.

    29. JS

      Yeah, very aware.

    30. JC

      So I really just said, "Abso- yes, I'll do it. I'll be there. I'll do it." And I think I understand my reasons for it, but now I think mainly the thing I'm really thinking is, well, what... Forget what you can do, forget what's possible, forget what's in front of you, forget what's offered to you or not offered to you, what do you actually want to do?

  6. 35:50 – 46:44

    The Analogy of Letting a Balloon Go

    1. JS

      a brilliant way to live. I mean, when you just said that, the idea of "I knew that it wasn't going to last forever, and I didn't want it to," that's so the opposite of how we're conditioned to think. Most of us are conditioned to believe when you find something good, hold onto it forever. Make sure it lasts forever 'cause you never know. And I love your perspective because I think not only is it healthier for the mind and the ego, it's actually the reality of life, that everything is ephemeral and transient, and it will move anyway.

    2. JC

      Yeah.

    3. JS

      And so you wanting to hold onto something that isn't yours to control is almost a fool's game anyway.

    4. JC

      Well, then you're a kid with a balloon.

    5. JS

      Yeah.

    6. JC

      Right? And you go and hold the, "I'm never, I'm never, ever gonna let this balloon go."

    7. JS

      Mm.

    8. JC

      Right? And ignoring for this for a second the environmental impact of letting a balloon go-

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. JC

      ... let's talk about it just metaphorically.

    11. JS

      Yes.

    12. JC

      You know?

    13. JS

      Yeah, yeah.

    14. JC

      That, it, you go, "I'm ... This is my balloon. I'm gonna hold this balloon. I'm never ever, ever, ever, ever gonna let go of this balloon."

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. JC

      "In fact, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna tie it to my wrist-

    17. JS

      Mm

    18. JC

      ... so it can't disappear, 'cause that happened to me once before."

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. JC

      "And it..." You know what I mean? "I'm gonna just, uh, I'm..." You know, that's it.

    21. JS

      Mm.

    22. JC

      And then slowly that balloon will just wilt, and it will run out of the thing that made it great, and it will just then be, then it's tied to your wrist, and you're dragging it behind you, right? And actually-

    23. JS

      Wow

    24. JC

      ... there's something quite beautiful, and again, environmentally I'm not encouraging this.

    25. JS

      [laughs]

    26. JC

      We didn't, we didn't know about this when we were kids. When you let go of a balloon, it's magical.

    27. JS

      Mm.

    28. JC

      Magical. Look. And then you see it, and you're like, "Oh, my God, I used to have that. I used to hold onto that, and look at it now. Look, it's just flying."

    29. JS

      Wow.

    30. JC

      "That's amazing." And then you go, "Well, now I haven't got a balloon."

  7. 46:44 – 53:15

    Why Sleep is an Extraordinary Gift

    1. JS

      I'm very into, you know, biohacking and health-

    2. JC

      Mm

    3. JS

      ... and, and all the rest of it. And so I was, I was, been testing this supplement I've been having for the last 30 days, [laughs] and it's, it's like boosted my mitochondria so much that I can't get to sleep. I have so much energy. And I was telling-

    4. JC

      Wow

    5. JS

      ... I was telling my doctor, I was like, "Mate, I really want to sleep."

    6. JC

      Yeah.

    7. JS

      Like I enjoy sleep.

    8. JC

      Wow.

    9. JS

      I'm someone, I'm not someone who sacrifices sleep. I enjoy sleep.

    10. JC

      Sleep is-

    11. JS

      And I haven't been able, I haven't really been able to sleep because of this one supplement that-

    12. JC

      Do you think that's anything to do with, like, also jet lag and the time difference-

    13. JS

      I think there's a bit of that-

    14. JC

      Right

    15. JS

      ... but I've been here for like 30 days now.

    16. JC

      Okay.

    17. JS

      So I'm like, it should've gone in after a week or two.

    18. JC

      Sure.

    19. JS

      But I agree with you, coming from LA to London is the harshest jet lag, right? Because-

    20. JC

      Yeah, you-

    21. JS

      ... I go from sleeping at 9:00-

    22. JC

      ... you almost never really get used to it. It's-

    23. JS

      Oh, it's really rough and so it could be that, but I feel like-

    24. JC

      But sleep-

    25. JS

      Yeah

    26. JC

      ... sleep is, we so rarely... I mean, I think there, I'm saying rarely talk about, we probably talk about it more now than we ever have in the last-

    27. JS

      Yeah

    28. JC

      ... 40 years. But like sleep is this extraordinary gift, and I think I'm probably more aware of it now because I've got a 12-year-old who i- is, who seems to think that sleep is some sort of punishment.

    29. JS

      [laughs]

    30. JC

      Do you know what I mean? Like he views-

  8. 53:15 – 1:00:32

    Do You Need to Stop Dieting?

    1. JS

      And-

    2. JC

      Well, a friend of mine said a really good thing to me. My friend Simon said to me, he said, "You need to stop going on a diet."

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. JC

      Because my weight has, has gone up and down. You know, I can, I can see it in, in t- too many videos on YouTube, [laughs] like, where I was up, where I was down. I used to have, like, three sets of suits. Lauren Shapiro, who was our wardrobe, uh, designer on the show, who I am now saying, as I said it out loud, would've hated hearing her name on, on your podcast. Uh, and I, w- my time with her, I used to just love so much because like I said, so much of the day would be a lot of people.

    5. JS

      Yeah.

    6. JC

      And then it would just be me and her choosing suits.

    7. JS

      Mm. Mm.

    8. JC

      And w- choosing what I'm gonna wear, and we'd chat about the day. And you know, we've had moments where we're cracking up laughing. We've had other days where one of us is really down.

    9. JS

      Yeah. [laughs]

    10. JC

      And it would just be this little precious moment-

    11. JS

      Yeah

    12. JC

      ... in this very small w- walk-in closet that was off my-

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. JC

      ... uh, w- off my office where all the suits were. And, uh, my time with th- those are the things I really miss.

    15. JS

      Yeah.

    16. JC

      That's the stuff I really, really miss. And she very, very subtly, and we never talked about it, we never ever talked about it, but I knew what she did, and I was grateful, was she basically started organizing my suits into, like, really fat-

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. JC

      ... fat, and, "Oh, he's looking good." [laughs] And you could see. And she would just-

    19. JS

      You always look good, man

    20. JC

      ... she... No, but she would just very, very in the, in the, just... And I would go, and then it just became a thing where I'd be like, "Uh, I think we're..." You know, particularly if we came off a hiatus or a go away and she'd go, "Okay. I think we're gonna be..." And she'd be like, "Mm-hmm," and we'd never really speak about it. [laughs]

    21. JS

      That's great. Yeah. Yeah.

    22. JC

      And my friend, my friend said, my friend Simon said, "You need to stop going on a diet."

    23. JS

      Mm.

    24. JC

      I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "You gotta stop. You've got to stop going on a diet." He said, "Because going on a diet is like going on a holiday."

    25. JS

      Hmm.

    26. JC

      "You are going to return, you're gonna come back."

    27. JS

      Wow, that's good.

    28. JC

      He said-

    29. JS

      That's good

    30. JC

      ..."If you go on a diet, what you're saying is this is short-term." He said, "You need to just go, 'This is how I live now-

  9. 1:00:32 – 1:11:24

    How to Calmly Talk to Your Child

    1. JC

      with kids, it's really important for them to see you with friends.

    2. JS

      Yes.

    3. JC

      To not separate those things.

    4. JS

      Hmm.

    5. JC

      To, to, to be... to involve your friends with your children and your children with your friends because I'm really aware that, like, my son's 12.

    6. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    7. JC

      And, and, like, he's right now, like, we just get on s- great.

    8. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    9. JC

      We get on so well.

    10. JS

      Yeah.

    11. JC

      So... We get on so well. It's... I love, it's beautiful, and I'm so aware that that is about to change.

    12. JS

      Hmm. [laughs]

    13. JC

      Because I've r-

    14. JS

      Yeah

    15. JC

      ... that is just nature.

    16. JS

      Yeah.

    17. JC

      You know?

    18. JS

      Yeah.

    19. JC

      I t- I t- I took, about a year ago before we moved, before we moved back- I took my son... It, the, I can't even remember what happened

    20. JS

      Mm

    21. JC

      But he was kinda stroppy, and, "Ah, yeah," and he, you know, stomped upstairs. He's really not that kind of boy, but he, he did. [smacks lips] And I, I went upstairs, and I sat in his room. And I just went to him, uh, I said, "C- can I ask you some questions?" And he was quite taken aback, 'cause, 'cause he thought I was gonna go, "What was that about?" And I went, "Can I ask you some questions?" And he went, "Yeah." I said, "Do you think I love you?" And he went, "Yeah." I said, "Do you think I would ever do anything to intentionally hurt or upset you?"

    22. JS

      Mm.

    23. JC

      He said, "No." I said, "And do you think in the 11 years that you've been on Earth, do you think I've changed dramatically?" He went, "No." I went, "Well done. You scored 100%. They are all the right answers"

    24. JS

      Mm.

    25. JC

      I said, "And I'm telling you this because over the next few years, there are gonna be points you are gonna think I don't love you"

    26. JS

      Mm.

    27. JC

      "You are gonna think I am intentionally trying to hurt or upset you, and you're gonna think that I've changed. And I need you to remember this, that I haven't changed"

    28. JS

      Wow

    29. JC

      "We haven't changed. You've changed, and you need to, and you have to. And you are gonna go through immeasurable changes in your life and body. And all we are trying to do, me, your mum, your sisters, and it's gonna happen to them, too, are just trying to help you navigate these bumps that are gonna come your way"

    30. JS

      Mm

  10. 1:11:24 – 1:18:11

    Learn Communicate Effectively With Your Partner

    1. JS

      I... What does it take in that, in the marriage for that communication, for that... Even the fact that, you know, you're both asking each other questions, you're both checking in with each other, like that's not easy. It's challenging. Yet, like what has that, what has that taken like from both of you to, to really be able to make those big decisions together?

    2. JC

      It's taken me learning from my wife.

    3. JS

      Mm.

    4. JC

      That's it. That's it. Like she, I think, has always known and always figured out how to-

    5. JS

      Mm

    6. JC

      ... communicate, how to do this.

    7. JS

      Wow.

    8. JC

      And I think I've been terrible at it. I think I've been rubbish at it, 'cause I think I lived for a very long time an existence of just I, nothing will move me from this train I'm on.

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. JC

      This is it.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. JC

      Oh, you're hopping on? Great. But this is, this is, it's, this is the thing.

    13. JS

      Mm.

    14. JC

      And actually you then realize that-

    15. JS

      Mm

    16. JC

      ... that, that, that isn't the case. I mean, we don't argue very much. We really, really try to talk in the day.

    17. JS

      Mm.

    18. JC

      Right? To, to not make it-

    19. JS

      That's very hard

    20. JC

      ... the last thing we do.

    21. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    22. JC

      Even if you are going to bed with like, "Well, they..." You know? And, and it's more her than me. [laughs]

    23. JS

      [laughs]

    24. JC

      And she's like, "Well, I'm gonna-"

    25. JS

      Do it

    26. JC

      ... "talk to you about that tomorrow." [laughs]

    27. JS

      [laughs]

    28. JC

      You know what I mean? But it's so much better than-

    29. JS

      Yeah

    30. JC

      ... than going to bed, going to sleep. Just don't go to sleep on an argument.

  11. 1:18:11 – 1:31:37

    What Sports Stars & Music Artists Have In Common

    1. JC

      it's why I think sport and music, I think sports stars and musicians are... I think their fame is so different-

    2. JS

      Mm

    3. JC

      ... to actors and performers and hosts and writers. And I think their fame is something different, because they give you moments.

    4. JS

      Mm.

    5. JC

      They give you moments in, like... And I th- and really what I put those moments down to is they made you feel-

    6. JS

      Mm-hmm

    7. JC

      ... less alone.

    8. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    9. JC

      That's actually what it is. It's why our relationship with singers a- and, and recording artists is so personal, because I was in this play called The History Boys, and it was written by Alan Bennett, and there was a, a, a speech that Richard Griffiths used to deliver every night, and he'd say, "The best moments in poetry are when you think a thought or a feeling is particular to you."

    10. JS

      Mm.

    11. JC

      "And then suddenly someone who is long dead you may, will never meet..." No, he says, "Someone who you will never meet, perhaps even long dead-" ... has written down-

    12. JS

      Mm

    13. JC

      ... the very thing you're feeling, and it's like a hand has reached out and taken yours, and it says to you, "You're not, you're not on your own."

    14. JS

      Mm.

    15. JC

      "You're not on your own."

    16. JS

      Mm.

    17. JC

      There's a great bit in a John Lennon documentary where there's a guy saying to John Lennon, "My- that song you wrote, uh, uh," but it's, you know, "th- that was about me."

    18. JS

      Mm.

    19. JC

      "It's about me. That's, that's how I am." And then John Lennon's going, "They're just songs."

    20. JS

      Mm.

    21. JC

      "They're just songs. It isn't that." And he's going, "No, but it is. You wrote that about me, 'cause you can't know how I felt." And so I think you f- you don't... Suddenly you feel very alone. You hear something, and you realize you're not. And then I think sport, when David Beckham curled that free kick in the top corner, which when we qualified for the World Cup, it did not matter Tory, Conservative, Republican, Democrat, left, right, all the stuff, the divisions, everything. Suddenly, "Yeah!" And you're hugging people you don't know, you've never met, and you're, you're brought together, and you're not alone anymore.

    22. JS

      Yeah.

    23. JC

      And that's where I think sport and music is such a powerful-

    24. JS

      Mm. I agree

    25. JC

      ... thing in our lives-

    26. JS

      Yeah

    27. JC

      ... which you don't feel when you watch a film. You can watch a film or a TV show and go, "Oh, yeah, that's good. That was amazing," even if it moved you hugely.

    28. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    29. JC

      That connection isn't the same, I don't think.

    30. JS

      Mm. Mm. That's why you gave him an ugly statue of himself. [laughs]

  12. 1:31:37 – 1:39:13

    James on Final Five

    1. JS

      end every show with a Final Five.

    2. JC

      Mm.

    3. JS

      And these are F- the Fast Five-

    4. JC

      Yeah

    5. JS

      ... which are answered in one word to one sentence maximum.

    6. JC

      Of course.

    7. JS

      And so, and I'll ruin that rule every time because-

    8. JC

      [laughs]

    9. JS

      ... you give such wonderful answers, but we'll try. We'll start there.

    10. JC

      Yeah, absolutely we'll try.

    11. JS

      We'll start there.

    12. JC

      Yeah.

    13. JS

      So James, these are your Fast Five. First question is, what is the best advice you've ever heard or received?

    14. JC

      To ask yourself, "Is this of my concern?" Right? I'm gonna break it already, but I really think that phrase is one of the most important things you can hang onto, is to just go... There's, there's a great power in being able to say, "That's none of my concern." It's more polite than saying, "I don't care." It's more truthful than saying, "It's nothing to do with me."

    15. JS

      Mm.

    16. JC

      'Cause sometimes it w- will be to do with you.

    17. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    18. JC

      But is it of your concern?

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. JC

      Do you need to engage with it?

    21. JS

      Mm.

    22. JC

      You just go, "I'm sorry, what was that? Someone say something? Think about it. Oh, that's none of my concern," and carry on.

    23. JS

      Mm. I love that. Super powerful. Okay, question number two: What is the worst piece of advice you've ever heard or received?

    24. JC

      [laughs] Oh, geez. Oh, God. It's weird, you know. I think, "Just do it," right?

    25. JS

      Yeah.

    26. JC

      The Nike- the Nike if you're in America, and the Nike if you're in England, uh, Britain. The... I think "Just do it" is a brilliant slogan, right? I think it's one of the most powerful slogans in the world.

    27. JS

      Yeah.

    28. JC

      And what makes it so powerful is the, is the full stop.

    29. JS

      Mm.

    30. JC

      Is the period. Just do it.

Episode duration: 1:39:13

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