James Corden is worried his Tony Awards opener is a "mistake".

James Corden

James Corden

The 'Late Late Show' host will front the annual theatre awards ceremony on Sunday (09.06.19) and he wants to kick off the show with a bang, but he's concerned his plans are too ambitious to pull off successfully.

Speaking amid rehearsals, he told 'Entertainment Tonight': "We're going to try and open with a big open, which if I'm honest today, feels like it might be a mistake. I feel like we may have probably bitten off a little more than we can chew.

"It isn't necessarily going to plan, but I hope so much we'll figure it out.

"We're going to try and make a show that will celebrate these incredible performers and everything they've done over the last 12 months.

"This room on Sunday night is going to be full of, without question, some of the most talented people on planet earth. There is nobody that comes close to their level of talent, so they deserve to be celebrated.

"I'm honoured to be part of that celebration, and they deserve the minimum one night on television to celebrate this incredible thing they do."

The 40-year-old presenter - who previously won a Tony Award for 'One Man, Two Guvnors' in 2012 - is "excited" to be returning to New York's Radio City Music Hall to host the ceremony again for the first time since 2016 because he loves being involved with the theatre "community".

He said: "It's certainly a community that I know very well, and they are amongst the most welcoming and kind group of people you could ever wish to be around. So in that respect, it's almost impossible not to feel supported by that community.

"I've only ever been to the Tony awards that last time I hosted or the time I won, so I'm very excited to be here, in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful venues in the world."

After the Tony Awards, James will be heading to London in a few weeks time for a special series of episodes of his nightly talk show, with his guests including Tom Hanks, Millie Bobby Brown, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sophie Turner.

He teased: "We have some massive things planned, some big guests. It's going to be a fun week at the 'Late Late Show'. "


Tagged in