- James Corden said he auditioned for the lead role in the critically acclaimed film “The Whale.”
- “I play the part, and Tom Ford will direct,” the talk show host told Deadline.
- The role went to Brendan Fraser, who was nominated for an award-season breakthrough for his performance.
James Corden said he was considered for the lead role in Oscar-nominated film “The Wheel” before Brendan Fraser was cast.
In his latest column, published Friday, critic Pete Hammond shared that during a conversation with the host of “The Late Late Show,” Corden told him that he was actually was set to star in the film.
“I’ll be playing the part, and Tom Ford will be directing,” Corden said of the critically acclaimed film, which earned Fraser a Golden Globe nomination in December.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, “The Wheel” stars Fraser as Charlie, a chubby English teacher trying to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).
Corden said there was a point when he was on board, although the 44-year-old actor was concerned he was too young to do the role justice compared to Fraser, 54.
Corden said Ford, a fashion designer and filmmaker, was originally attached to the project, which is based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter, who also wrote the film’s screenplay.
Corden added that Ford, the director of “Nocturnal Animals,” did not end up directing “Whale” because he wanted more control.
Brendan Fraser in “Whale”.
A24
Ford wasn’t the only filmmaker involved in the project — Corden said George Clooney was also briefly attached to the film.
Corden suggested the “Ocean’s Eleven” star would only make the film if an unknown 600-pound actor was cast as Charlie. This was a deal-breaker for Clooney, and his version of the story was never finished.
Hammond said that during another interview, Aronofsky confirmed all of Corden’s claims about the film’s development.
Corden also recently said on an episode of the podcast “Happy Seed Confused” that he auditioned for the part of Samoyed Gamgee in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy when he was in his early 20s.
“Every single person in London was auditioning for ‘Lord of the Rings’. Everyone. And I auditioned for Samus,” he said.
“I was doing the accent and everything! Mr. Frodo!” He added, imitating the character’s West Country accent.
Corden said that while his audition “didn’t go well”, he was called back twice for the part of Frodo’s loyal friend. However, it went to American actor Sean Austin.
