Shadowing Practice: Tom Holland - interview "Billy Elliot" (2010) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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it's the heartwarming tale of a young boy who follows his dream billy elliott secretly goes to ballet lessons
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and goes on to become a star the musical telling his
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story has been wowing crowds since its west end debut more than three years ago
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billy elliott has smashed box office records An estimated two and a half million people have seen the show, and it's still a sellout.
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Several young boys share the role of Billy, and two of the newest recruits came in to see us.
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Tom and Tana, welcome to 5 News.
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Tom, you've done four performances so far.
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You're both playing Billy Elliot.
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You've done four performances so far.
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You're about to start.
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Tom, how's it going?
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Oh, yeah, it's going fantastic, yeah.
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I'm loving it.
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Have you always wanted to do something like this?
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Well, I just, it was my dad's birthday two years ago, so me and my mum decided to take my dad to come and see the show, and I was a bit of a fan of dancing, and then I said, oh,
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mum, why don't I audition for this, because it looks quite cool.
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Yeah.
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And then I ended up auditioning, and then two years later I got the role.
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Tana, I mean, you're American, aren't you?
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So how did you get the job?
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Well, I was actually auditioning for the New York,
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the New York musical, but instead, after about...
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four auditions they asked me if I wanted to come over here
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and I said yes
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and you all live in this big Billy Elliot house explain how this like all of us live together
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so like because some of us come from Manchester America Newcastle
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so we've all got a live in one big house yeah
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but you have a lot of fun yeah
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so it's what has it work in terms of the schoolwork
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and the and the acting and the practice and all
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that kind of stuff tana well um we have school in the morning at the house it starts at nine
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and then we finish about 12 15 have our lunch till 1 15
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and then we travel to wherever we have our rehearsals
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and we do our rehearsals from two o 'clock till um probably about eight at night
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so it's a full schedule
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and i'm just wondering i mean billy ellick comes in the northeast
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so you've got to do a northeast you've got to do an accent haven't you um how's it going Um, it's going well, yeah.
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Can you two give us a bit of a demo on what you're like when you're doing the accent?
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Sure.
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I can't really explain it.
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I haven't got the words.
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It's a feeling that you can't control.
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I suppose it's like forgetting, losing who you are.
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And at the same time, something makes you whole.
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Very good.
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Thank you so much.
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That was really good.
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Now, you've signed up for how long, the pair of you?
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Well, we have a contract for six months, and then if we get too tall of our voice breaks, we get kind of kicked out.
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So our contract gets renewed if we're not too tall and our voice doesn't break.
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Listen, all the best for the show, and thank you so much for coming in.
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Thank you.
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Good to meet you.
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They're great.

Real-Life Chat: Young Actors Discussing Their Big Role

This video captures a lively interview with two young actors, Tom and Tana, who play Billy Elliot in the hit musical. The conversation covers their journey to the role, daily routines, and even a demo of the Northeast English accent—perfect for language learning because it reflects natural, conversational speech. You’ll hear how they talk about auditions, schedules, and challenges, making it a great resource for speaking practice.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Memorize

  • "smash box office records": To be extremely successful financially (e.g., "The new movie smashed box office records").
  • "full schedule": A busy day with many activities (e.g., "I have a full schedule of meetings tomorrow").
  • "get kicked out": To be asked to leave (informal; e.g., "If you’re late again, you’ll get kicked out of the class").
  • "sign up for": To agree to participate in something (e.g., "I signed up for a cooking course").
  • "a bit of a fan of": To like something somewhat (e.g., "I’m a bit of a fan of jazz music").

Your Shadowing Challenge: Master the Accent & Flow

The shadowing technique is a great way to improve pronunciation practice and fluency. Here’s your task: Pick the part where Tom and Tana demo the Northeast accent ("I can’t really explain it... something makes you whole"). Play the clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, mimicking their tone, speed, and accent. Focus on how they stress words like "feeling" and "whole." Do this 5 times, then record yourself. Compare your version to the original—you’ll notice how much closer your flow and pronunciation get! This exercise helps you learn to speak like a native, not just read like one.

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.