James Corden developed ‘faux confidence’ after being bullied over his weight

Actor and talk show host said that bullies don’t like confident people

James Corden developed “faux confidence” after years of being bullied because of his weight, he has revealed.

The actor and chat show host, who next appears in the Netflix musical The Prom, said that early experiences of bullying shaped his personality.

“I don’t look back at my time at school,” Corden told US news show 60 Minutes. “I was bullied because of my size, [and] in truth that’s probably where all that faux confidence comes from.”

He continued: “It was all a defence mechanism of like, well, I’ll be the biggest target in the room. Bullies don’t like that. Confidence is like kryptonite to bullies.”

Corden portrays a gay actor in The Prom, and one of a quartet of Broadway stars who arrive at a small-town high school to help two girls who wish to attend prom together.

Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Kerry Washington also star in the film. Streep told 60 Minutes that she was “thrilled” to work with Corden.

“I think he’s one of the most preternaturally talented actors, writers, improvisers, musicians,” she explained. “He’s a quadruple, quintuple threat. It’s fun to work with him. It’s fun to be with him.”

Corden’s other new film, Superintelligence, was branded one of the year’s worst films in its first reviews. One critic called it a “laugh-free slab of nothing”, while another added it was “exhausting and obnoxious”.

The Prom arrives on Netflix on 4 December.