Shadowing Practice: Robert De Niro on Acting - Michael Parkinson Interview [1981] - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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Alec Guinness once said on the show
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that I asked him what he had to do before he got into a character
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and he said he had to get the walk right.
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Right.
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But you actually, you research them, don't you?
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You go and live like them before you do the part.
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Well, what he says is very true for me too because some actors work cerebrally, some work physically.
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I like to work physically a lot of times it helps me feel like, I mean clothes, putting on certain clothes can give you a feeling of another character,
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which it does to actual people who are characters.
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It helps them identify with the role that they want to play in life, be a businessman or whatever they want to, you know.
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And one thing can give it to you.
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A walk can give it to you.
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Just that one walk, you can play that one thing through a whole play or a movie and it can do it.
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So I agree with that, you know.
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The point I was going to make, of course, was that...
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I do the other two.
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Yeah, I mean, the way when you did Taxi Driver, for instance, I mean, you went and actually worked as a cabbie, didn't you?
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Yeah.
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Did anybody ever recognize you then?
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Only once or twice.
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Once I had an actor who wanted me to take him to the airport and he recognized me.
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So the whole thing was blown because I couldn't, you know, all we could do was talk about acting.
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And I didn't want him to pay me.
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But he insisted on paying me.
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I said, okay, pay me.
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No tip, though.
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And the other time I just, some people got out of the cab and I looked at his eyes.
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You know, you have a plaque with your name on it.
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I turned that around so nobody could see the name, which a lot of cabbies do anyway.
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And I looked him in the eye and the guy recognized me right away and just said, you were in Godfather II, he recognized me from that. And that was it.
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Otherwise, people don't even look at you, they don't know.
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You know, it's like a waiter in a restaurant.
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They don't, you know, you don't exist in a way.
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That was kind of...
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And in New York, New York as well, you actually learned how to play the instrument, the sax, didn't you?
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Although, I mean, you needn't have done because you could have mimed it because the music wasn't yours, was it?
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No, it wasn't mine.
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It was done by George Yeo, except that I wanted to learn the fingering, which I did.
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And I learned how to play everything in the movie.
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It wasn't, the whole point was not to learn how to play the sax to be,
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you know, I could never play it as well as he did or the way Jake fights and so on.
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But the movies are an illusion and the whole point is to be able to recreate this without looking like a fool.
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I didn't want to look like I didn't know what I was doing because when I look at a movie, I see, you know, somebody with the fingering, for example, they're all out of, you know, they're all on step, out of sync.
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Playing a jazz musician.
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And I want to throw it away.
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The point is to learn to throw it away the way a person who actually does know it, they don't over-emphasize it.
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It's like an actor who overacts because they don't really know the situation and don't have the confidence to just be, you know, be straight.
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Robert, you're at the top of the tree now.
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You've got a very strongly tip for a second Academy Award.
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Yet I do know for a certain fact that you don't like the thing about the, the traditional trappings of being a film star, do you?
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In some ways, yeah.
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You don't like them?
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Well, only that...
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as far as the.. being recognized in certain situations, you like a certain amount of privacy.
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And, no, but I enjoy it, don't get me wrong.
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I mean, certain things are drag, but that's part of it.
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I have no complaints whatsoever.
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What about your next project?
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What are you going to do?
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That's called The King of Comedy, and I'm doing it with Jerry Lewis, and Marty Scorsese is going to direct it.
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It's about a guy who kidnaps someone like yourself.
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A chat show host.
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Yeah, to get on the show and do his act, which turns out to be very good.
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You've not been doing any research while we've been sitting here, have you?
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No. No, you haven't?
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No. All right.
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But all success with that, all success too with Raging Bull.
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As I say, I do hope it gets a wider audience because it is a magnificent movie.
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It's not what you call family entertainment of its kind.
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I think it's one of the best movies I've ever seen.
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Robert De Niro.
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Thank you.

Robert De Niro’s Acting Insights: A Real-Life Conversation for English Practice

In this engaging 1981 interview with Michael Parkinson, Robert De Niro shares his unique approach to acting—from researching roles by working as a cabbie to learning saxophone fingering for a film. The dialogue is a goldmine for English learners: it’s natural, conversational, and packed with everyday phrases, making it perfect for english speaking practice and shadow speech exercises. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more fluent, this real-world conversation helps you pick up natural rhythm and tone.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Memorize

  • "get the walk right": To master a physical trait that defines a character (or person). Example: "She practiced for hours to get the walk right for her dance performance."
  • "work cerebrally": To approach a task with careful thought. Example: "Some writers work cerebrally, outlining every detail before drafting."
  • "the whole thing was blown": A plan or secret is revealed. Example: "We tried to surprise her, but the whole thing was blown when she found the cake."
  • "out of sync": Not matching or coordinated. Example: "His guitar playing was out of sync with the band, so they stopped to reset."
  • "top of the tree": At the highest level of success. Example: "After 20 years in the industry, she’s now top of the tree in her field."

Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like a Native

Ready to try shadowspeaks? Here’s your task: Pick a 30-second clip from the video (try De Niro talking about working as a cabbie). Play the clip, then pause and repeat it immediately, copying his tone, pace, and pronunciation. Focus on how he stresses words like "only once or twice" and the casual rhythm of "you don’t exist in a way." Do this 5 times, then record yourself. Compare your version to the original—you’ll notice improvements in english pronunciation and fluency! This exercise trains your brain to think and speak in English, just like native speakers. Keep practicing, and you’ll soon sound more natural in conversations.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.