Shadowing Practice: Brad Pitt on “True Romance” and “Troy” | Late Night with Conan O’Brien - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Ah.
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Ah.
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That's nice.
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Nice.
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I can't hold but notice that most of the other talk show hosts get a much bigger studio.
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Exactly.
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I like a small confined space here.
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That was a nice, but you know what?
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In a smaller space, you really hear that insane reaction,
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which I thought was nice. And you know...
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And we're going for intimacy, aren't we?
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Yeah.
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Aren't we?
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So few of us, hey.
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I don't know how to feel about that.
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I'll show you later.
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Wait, now I do.
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Yeah, I'll leave it alone, but thank you.
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You know, of course, we all saw the Friends finale tonight, wasn't that something?
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Moving, moving.
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Yeah.
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I love that Joey.
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You love that Joey.
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I love that Joey.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Where did you watch it?
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I'm just curious.
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Backstage.
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Yeah, nice, yeah.
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You were there?
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Very good, yeah, I was there too, we were drinking.
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Those were some good times.
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Whipping it up.
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Yeah.
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When Rachel did that, that crazy thing was, yeah, exactly, wow.
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I was inspired.
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You were inspired.
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Let me ask you something.
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Of course, you and your wife Jennifer are just so scrutinized by people.
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Everyone wants the inside scoop.
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I'm gonna give it to you here.
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I wanna hear the inside scoop and you're gonna hear it for the first time ever.
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Is it true that Jennifer sleepwalks?
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Is that true?
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That's true.
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Yes, she often, she gets a lot done when she's asleep.
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She'll like, I think you've heard the story,
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I caught her outside one night.
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The alarm was going off and I found her outside.
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Literally, she had to negotiate through like three or four rooms and I find her standing outside.
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We were living on a cliff that time.
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It was not good.
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Other times I'll hear her,
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I'll hear drawers opening and closing in the other room and I figure,
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I'll just go back to sleep,
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she'll be back, she'll get some stuff done.
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That could be a burglar, by the way.
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That could be someone robbing you.
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No, that's my wife.
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Now, does she also speaks too?
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She speaks a lot.
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Yeah, we've had some of our best conversations.
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Moving.
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I think the latest one,
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she went on some five minute dissertation on the need for Tuesdays with Maury and our contemporary society or something like this.
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Wow.
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No, she gets in there.
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I learned a lot.
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Wow, wow.
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She's teaching you things, yeah.
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She is.
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But my favorite one was a few years back and I'm laying there and it's deathly silent.
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Not, I can't sleep, she's sleeping peacefully.
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And all of a sudden I hear,
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bring on the young men in uniform.
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I don't know what that is.
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Sadly, I say that too.
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And it's a different connotation.
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I want to talk to you.
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I've loved your performances in a lot of movies,
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Fight Club, Seven, River Runs Through It.
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But you played a character that I thought was hilarious in true romance, a stoner character.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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And that character really popped with people.
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And I thought, did you know someone like that?
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Where did you base that on, that character?
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Method.
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Method?
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Method, baby.
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A lot of research.
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A lot of research into the- A lot of in-depth research and character study.
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And I think it adds that extra 5% that we need.
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Right, right.
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If you can even add after that kind of research, you know.
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7%.
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Let's talk about Troy.
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You, I saw this movie just yesterday and I loved it and I was curious,
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I've heard you talk about this,
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but there's actually real history in this film.
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You had to learn some Greek history for this movie, didn't you?
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Yes, I did, I did a lot of research.
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Sort of to prepare, talk about preparing.
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Now wait, you were in the screening with like Diane Sawyer and others, other notables, right?
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Mike Nichols, Diane Sawyer, yeah,
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there was only, it was like the four of us.
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Do you guys get into little like,
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do you like throw things?
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Do you like munch popcorn?
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Yeah, that's just what I'm gonna do is bounce an ashtray off Diane Sawyer.
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You got the shot.
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Well, she started to talk behind me to Mike Nichols I was like, shut up!
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Shut up! That went really well.
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Good, good.
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People love it when you scream at Diane Sawyer.
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Good, good, good.
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But what did you learn about Greek history preparing for this role?
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Um, as, well, they, um.
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You liar!
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You learned absolutely nothing.
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I did, I read the book.
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I swear I read the book.
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They were a fierce bunch.
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They were a fierce bunch.
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Right.
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They liked to fight a lot.
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Right.
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Like the war.
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Is it true that the Greek warriors fought,
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a lot of times fought naked?
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This is true, Conan.
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This is true.
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Cause that is not depicted in this film.
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It is not.
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And a lot of people are gonna be angry about that.
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Cause otherwise it would be called Caligula.
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Yeah, yeah.
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But yes, no, I didn't understand why they would go to great lengths to cover the torso with bronze,
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they cover the head, they cover the shins.
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Yet, they left the vitals open.
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And the whole idea was to protect from a kill shot.
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Right.
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What I understood, but yet the tackle was free.
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So, if we went for realism,
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it'd be a bit frightening.
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Yeah, yeah.
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It's available though on Cinemax.
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You can see it there.
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What is it?
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I mean, so there'd be no armor there because that's where I would want all the armor.
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I would think so too.
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I want a lot of it.
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Unless it meant to scare your opponent.
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Thank you.
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You'll see.
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Am I rewriting this one?
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Thanks for that assumption.
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I'll get you wrong, but thank you.
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You, um.
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I wasn't talking about you.
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Oh.
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Well, I guess this interview's over.
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You worked very hard physically to prepare for this role.
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Yes, I did.
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True story.
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Tell us about that.
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I mean, how hard did you work to get physically ready for this role?
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It was grueling.
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It was grueling.
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I started out like six or seven months beforehand with the sword training,
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the fight work, and hours in the gym, which is not fun.
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Did you do more physical training for this movie than any other movie?
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That is true also, Conan.
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See, that's the way they should promote the film.
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Like, finally, a film where Brad Pitt gets in shape.
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He's been, you know, everything you've seen before is a slob compared to this guy.
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No?
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I think these are good ideas.
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Then again, I drive a Taurus.
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You know what's been cool to work with Peter O'Toole?
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You have an amazing scene with Peter O'Toole.
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I was looking forward to that scene.
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It's one of the great scenes in literature and you got with one of the classic actors.
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And I can't, it's actress,
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but when he's better, I'm better.
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When I'm better, he's better.
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It's all about feeding off each other.
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What a great thing though.
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It's really a high.
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It's what we live for those moments.
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We have a clip here from the movie.
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And this is a pretty amazing fight scene,
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I believe, with you and Hector, is that right?
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Eric Banner, played by Eric Banner.
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Anything else we need to know?
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I think that covers it.
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Wow.
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No one's ever done it.
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People always go into a 40 minute and then this guy
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and then that guy and then they go and they find the robot,
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but this is nice.
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Take a look.
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You won't have eyes tonight.
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You won't have ears or a tongue.
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You will wander the underworld blind,
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deaf and dumb and all the dead will know.
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This is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles.
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Oh, no. Oh!
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Oh, God.
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Yeah, that's incredible.
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That's incredible.
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Yeah, but also that doesn't even touch the surface of the fighting that's going on in this movie.
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I gotta hand it to you too.
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Yeah, big job.
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You also, I mean, we all know you can pull off that costume.
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Very few guys could pull off the Greek costumes that you're wearing in here.
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I compliment you.
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You mean men in skirts?
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Yeah, it's a hard thing to do.
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I don't think so.
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I think you got it.
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Not me, I don't got it.
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I brought you one.
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You brought me one.
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I brought you one.
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I don't.
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I brought you one.
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Bring on the armor.
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I don't, right?
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Give it a shot.
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All right.
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Oh man.
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Oh, oh, oh.
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Good, baby.
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Kiri Abelko.
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Kiri Abelko.
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Ah.
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Conan the Vegetarian.
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Well, this is something absolutely nobody wanted to see tonight.
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Very nice.
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All right, we're gonna take a break and I'm gonna return the favor.
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I wanna thank you for being here.
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I wanna tell you that Troy opens next Friday and Brad,
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I'm giving it to you the keys to my sweet ride.
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No, I'm gonna do it.
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Thank you.
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All right.
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He's a good man.
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Brad Pitt, Janet Jackson coming up.
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We'll take a break.
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All right, everybody, we are back.
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I think it's time we get a shot of the proud new owner of my 92 Ford Taurus SHO.
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I'm sure.
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No!
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Not so fast, Brad!
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Not so fast!
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills by exploring a segment from an entertaining late-night interview featuring Brad Pitt. Through this practice, you will not only improve your understanding of conversational English but also enhance your pronunciation and intonation. The informal setting of the interview provides a great opportunity to listen to natural speech patterns and expressions used in daily conversations.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Scrutinized - to examine something closely and critically.
- Inside scoop - exclusive or secret information.
- Sleepwalks - the act of walking or performing activities while in a state of sleep.
- Literally - in a literal sense; exactly as stated.
- Confined space - a small, restricted area.
- Negotiated - to move through a challenging situation successfully.
- Intimacy - closeness or familiarity.
- Inspired - filled with the urge or ability to do something creative.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video, focus on the following tips to improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills:
- Listen Carefully: Play the video multiple times to familiarize yourself with the conversation's speed and tone. Note how the speaker emphasizes certain words or phrases.
- Shadow Speak: As you listen, try to mimic the speakers' intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation. Start by repeating phrases slowly and then gradually increase your speed.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record your voice while shadowing the transcript. Compare your pronunciation with the original audio to identify areas for improvement.
- Focus on Emotion: Pay attention to the emotional undertones in the dialogue. Reflecting the speakers’ emotions in your shadow speech can greatly enhance your delivery.
- Engage with the Content: Consider the context of the conversation, like celebrity culture and humor, which can help you better understand and relate to the phrases used.
By effectively using these shadowing methods, you can improve not only your vocabulary but also your overall speaking fluency and confidence, making communication in English more natural.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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