James Corden really, really loves putting his guests in the Late Late Show hot seat by bringing up old clips of their work. Whether it’s director Paul Feig showing off his amazing Ski Patrol dance moves or Eddie Redmayne turning into a flustered, blushing mess at a clip of his childhood self earnestly singing “Memory” from Cats, there’s something really likable about seeing our polished, beloved celebrities being able to laugh at themselves and show that not everything has to be a serious prestige drama.
In the newest addition to this series, Corden brings up old commercials that Jeffrey Tambor and John Boyega were both in, and while Tambor’s is pretty funny, Boyega’s is an absurdist masterpiece. Before Star Wars and Attack the Block, the actor dipped his toes into sci-fi dystopia with a anti-weed PSA called “Killer Weed,” which he describes, “This was a positive thing, it was drugs awareness trying to get the kids to stay off the spliffs. And the concept is that if kids smoke it they become killer zombies, so they made a trailer about killer weed.” The clip starts with Tambor’s turtleneck sweater commercial, but if you want to skip straight to Boyega’s drug PSA past, the story starts at 2:15 in the video. (CW: The blood is very Hollywood and the PSA quite short, but if blood squicks you out you might want to skip it.)
The media has had some fun with Boyega’s past jobs before. The Star Wars actor also appeared in a number of stock photos for college brochures, which he approaches with good humor and “I needed the money!”
Of course, Boyega’s life has really changed since then and he describes a turning point in the clip below where he has Nigerian food with Harrison Ford in London. The meal, which was apparently accompanied by great conversation, is already cool by itself, but the heaviness of the meal meant Ford had to maneuver himself in the car. “Wow, this is really Indiana Jones climbing over me like that,” says Boyega.
What do you think kids? Did “Killer Weed” inspire you to stay off the marijuanas?
(image: screencap)
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