If you live in a New York apartment and had reason to step out recently, check your Ring doorbell cam footage — you may have missed a knock on the door from Harry Styles and James Corden.
In a segment for “The Late Late Show With James Corden” which aired Thursday night, James Corden offers his directorial eye to Harry Styles for the pop star’s “Daylight” music video, from his third studio album “Harry’s House.”
In the skit, the pair start their trek by knocking on random apartment doors on a residential street in New York, where they get one “I’m about to head out for the day” and another rejection from a woman who — despite the crowd of people taking photos of Styles behind her — kindly declines access to the pop star and late-night host.
“I thought this would be easier Harry, I’ve got to be honest — I thought your face would open a lot of doors,” says Corden, as the duo and their stumbling camera crew continue their search.
Finally, the pair buzz themselves into an apartment under the guise of a pizza delivery, which leads them to the front door of four lucky Styles fans: Isabel, Caroline, Hadley and Sydney.
With Styles hiding in the hall, the girls greet Corden, who asks them permission to film inside their apartment, to which they respond, “Of course!” Corden then takes Styles’ hand, pulling him into the doorframe and revealing him to the girls who all cover their mouths in disbelief.
Variety spoke with the girls ahead of the Styles episode airing, and to say they were excited is an understatement.
“If we knew [they were stopping by] we would’ve at least brushed our hair!” they said, recounting that one fateful afternoon after work when their doorbell rang only to reveal Styles and Corden.
What was only a three-hour-long shoot heralded a series of major events for the girls who say Styles was in the best of spirits — despite the fact that their apartment did not have air conditioning.
“He was also making sure that we were taken care of! He was like, ‘Make sure the girls get water too,’” they say between giggles, remembering the details of their off-camera conversations about work and birthdays.
To start the shoot, the girls take the Styles camp on a tour of their spacious New York apartment (see it to believe it) but made sure to have the star sit out of Hadley’s room, as it was littered with One Direction memorabilia and even a drawing of Styles as Harry Potter.
“I cannot stop thinking about all the things I wish I would’ve said to him,” recalls Hadley — a long-time fan of the boyband. “But now, I’ve written a list of all the things I’d say to him if it ever happens again.”
What Styles didn’t miss, however, was a photo hanging on the wall of the roommates with late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon. “Had we known, we could’ve hid it,” jokes Caroline, to which Corden responds, “I’m deciding not to take that personally.”
In preparation for the music video, Corden directs the girls to “call a few friends, but don’t go crazy” for the video’s party scenes, while he organized the rest of the music video stills.
“I was in a Christopher Nolan movie…” Styles starts to say, gesturing to the girls’ bathroom, “and now this is my dressing room.”
Corden also directs the singer to walk down a hallway with the instruction: “Give me old Mick Jagger,” to which Styles musters up his best Jagger impression — mouth agape and hands up — before switching to: “Give me young Mick Jagger!”
Corden didn’t just stop at creative directing — he also took it upon himself to handle stunts, coming out in a head-to-toe green screen bodysuit to film Styles in his aforementioned glittery costume on the roof, very literally following the song’s opening line, “I’m on a roof.”
Styles shook hands with all of the girls’ friends who had arrived to serve as extras for the party scenes and were directed by Corden, “Don’t treat him like he’s Harry Styles, treat him like someone called Chris.”
The girls say the party scenes were “very much real,” as the album had not yet been released and getting to listen to “Daylight” was more than a treat. “Harry was also very down to mosh,” remembers one of the girls, referencing the stuffy living room party scene.
The segment ends with the premiere of the “Late Late Show and James Corden Production,” a three-minute music video (which only cost Corden $300) that featured multiple cameos from all four girls and of course, stars the smiley singer himself.
Watch the full segment below.