Watch: James Corden Pauses His Live Show For England Vs Switzerland Penalty Shootout

In its quest to book a spot in the Euro 2024 semifinals, England managed to beat Switzerland in a late fightback with a 5-3 penalty shootout victory. While the dramatic quarter-final showdown drew in a bumper TV audience, it also got all the attention of actor James Corden, who delayed his own play to watch the important match. The actor’s play, The Constituent, was due to start at the scheduled time, coinciding with England’s game against Switzerland.

As a result, Corden and his co-stars, Anna Maxwell and Zachary Hart, did not hesitate to watch the game with the entire audience. Several videos from London’s Old Vic Theatre are going viral on the internet, showing Corden engrossed in the game while also talking the crowd through each penalty.

The 45-year-old actor is an ardent football fan. As soon as he got to know that the audience had been watching the football match, Corden and his castmates instantly brought out an iPad onto the Old Vic stage and started streaming it live. Many recorded his thrilled reactions as the actor cheered and narrated the action for the audience.

At the moment, Corden could be heard saying, “If we score this, we’re through. If we score this, we’re through, and then a very serious, intense, political play.” He also shouted, “Come on, Trent,” leaving everyone laughing. While the trio cheered up on England winning the stressful shootout, they eventually went on with the show.

While the videos from the Saturday night show are all over the internet, the actor spoke to The Guardian about the shared experience. “When it got to extra time, we put on our costumes. The extra time finished about three minutes before the play was due to begin. We thought, ‘Oh man, this is tough, but we’ve got to start’. Then we heard a ‘Yessss’ from the audience, and we looked at each other and said: ‘They’re all watching it’. We looked out, and there were loads of little lit-up phones in the audience. It wasn’t the time to start a serious play about serious issues. So me, Anna, and Zach went out on stage with an iPad… It was really wonderful, alive and a glorious collective experience,” he said, calling it one of his “favourite moments”.