Watch Helen Mirren Destroy James Corden in a Vicious Rap Battle
Helen Mirren is obviously a woman of many talents. Not only is she an icon in the entertainment industry, but she can also strut her stuff with the best of them on the runway and even has some rapping skills (yes, rapping skills!), as James Corden unfortunately just found out.
Stopping by The Late Late Show on Tuesday, the Winchester actress was fully ready to “Drop the Mic.” She even wore a crown at one point. We weren’t sure what to expect from the 72-year-old, but let’s just say things got vicious!
From the moment she started — by telling the host to “bow down,” naturally — it was clear that she was ready to reign supreme. Corden wasn’t willing to surrender without a fight, though, replying, “We’re not at home anymore. I’m the king in this studio.”
He then took over, spitting out, “Helen is basically an icon in her craft / But when I heard she wanted to battle me, all I could do is laugh / Back home she’s considered the actress you have to fear / But we’re in America now — Meryl Streep lives here!”
After getting a tad personal and bringing up one of the actress’ famous exes (*cough* Liam Neeson *cough*), he kept it going with: “Helen’s so beloved, she’s in her own class / She’s played the Queen, but now she’s a royal pain in my ass.” Ouch!
Mirren wasn’t fazed, though, and snapped back, “You stand out, but for games and banter / Other shows do comedy, you just pander / You thought you could beat me / Sorry, game over / I’ll cook this beef, his wife, and her lover / He’s obsessed with my exes / Sorry, James, I’m not single / But you know I taught your little mister to tingle.”
Things kept going from there, with the host telling Mirren she couldn’t quite compare to other legends like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. That ended up backfiring on him, though, when she took a similar tactic, telling him, “This battle is fun / I’m glad that you asked / It’s the only bit you didn’t find in Jimmy Fallon’s trash.”
With references to Meghan Markle, Fast and Furious, and seemingly everything in between, these two weren’t there to play nice. And we loved every minute!
Who do you think won the rap battle between James Corden and Helen Mirren? Let us know @BritandCo!
(photo via Terence Patrick/CBS)
