Shadowing Practice: Charlize Theron is the Ultimate Fangirl | Ask Me Anything | ELLE - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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And he put up with me.
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I'm a lot to put up with.
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No, I'm not.
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I'm fucking amazing.
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Hi, I'm Charlize Theron.
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And today, I'm letting Al ask me anything.
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Let's get to it.
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What's the most Leo thing about you?
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I don't really feel like a Leo, weirdly.
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My rising is Virgo, and I feel way more Virgo than I do Leo.
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Sometimes Leos just kind of read, like, they like the spotlight.
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And I'm actually very shy is maybe not the right word, but I'm not gregariously like comfortable being on a stage
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and like I have to take like many beta blockers before I go on a stage.
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I like order.
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I like structure.
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And I feel like that's more Virgo.
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Name a current obsession of yours.
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I'm 50.
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I don't have a band anymore.
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What am I obsessed with?
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Oh, I am obsessed with this laser, skincare lasers.
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Like I have mine on at all times.
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I have these kinds.
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I have that kind.
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I have them all.
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I love them.
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I could live inside a red laser or a red light at all times.
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I'll be very happy.
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What's your go -to comfort show?
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Anything by Housewives.
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I'm not picky.
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I like them all.
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I really do.
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Like, I'm really into Potomac right now.
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I think those girls just, they serve all day.
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Like, I really, I dig them.
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What's one film you wish you could have starred in?
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I've never really liked had like a all about eve moment
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where i was like i should have just shoved her down the staircase
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because i wanted to play
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that part i did have like a small pang to be
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in chicago i was just very nostalgic about like doing something
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that had dance in it and like kind of making
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that a full circle moment and also the singing in
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that is kind of like graspy and like talking
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and i felt like i could do that because i can't really sing
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but i could kind of like i can't even do it now.
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This is why I didn't get the part.
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First celebrity crush.
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I mean the truth to that question is that I really like loved MacGyver.
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Richard Dean Anderson.
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I thought he was so hot.
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So when I was like seven I would like steal some of my mom's checks
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and I would like sign Charlize Dean Anderson.
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He's cute.
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Which of your roles has been the most physically demanding?
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Apex for sure.
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I play a climber and i'd never done anything like
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that before and there was like a strength and an endurance
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that i had to find in order to make that film
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that i thought i was gonna like zoom through it
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and then by like day 40 i was like i can't walk i can't like my everything's broken
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but the movie's great the movie's great so it's all worth it oh what's something you're extremely competitive about games.
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I'm very competitive with games.
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I don't like to lose.
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And I have to kind of pretend like I'm okay to lose
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when I'm playing with my kids because I need to teach them the lesson of being good losers.
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But honestly, it's hard.
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So it's like literally uno.
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Like I want to fucking win.
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I'm playing my 10 year old.
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Like I'm playing high stake Vegas cards.
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They're going to be so damaged. Be honest.
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Had you actually read the Odyssey before signing onto the film?
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Truth be told i didn't need to it was chris fucking nolan like it doesn't matter what it is
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when and where and what time describe your first day on set of the odyssey oh i was
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so nervous the imax camera is like just like a whole other
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and there's just a lot of like technical stuff
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that goes with it i was just really nervous
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because i could just tell you know you're in the new kid on the block
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and I'd kind of finished the movie with them, I think.
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Like, it was the last few days of shooting.
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So I had this kind of, like, constant reminder of, like, these guys want to go home.
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Like, they're tired.
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So don't fuck up.
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Say the fucking line right.
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How would you describe Matt Damon as a scene partner?
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Oh, Matt's so great.
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And we worked together, it feels like, 30 years ago.
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It's the same guy, just good Boston blood.
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So thoughtful, so kind, so giving.
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There were moments where I was, like, freezing cold, and I was just a little lost
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and he would just always kind of like give me this little nudge of encouragement
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and I just love him
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and he put up with me I'm a lot to put
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up with no I'm not I'm fucking amazing tell us about
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the last time you were starstruck I get starstruck pretty easily
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like I'm I'm a total fangirl I just recently had dinner with Carol Burnett
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and her husband and I I just still like I'm just
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so obsessed with her sometimes I have to like catch myself because I'm just like, I don't even know what that looked like, but it's weird.
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I remember one time I was in a restaurant and one of the Southern Charm boys, and I was like such a nerd.
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The whole night I was just like, he's sick at the bar.
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What the fuck's wrong with me?
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List your top three albums of all time.
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God, that's hard.
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I've lived for a very long time.
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Purple Rain.
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Rumors, that very famous Cyndi Lauper album where like every song was great, the one that had Time After Time on it.
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That is an album you can listen from, beginning to end.
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Classic.
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What's the hardest scene you've ever had to film?
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I have a memory of shooting a scene in Monster where Eileen is kind of like in a field
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and this older gentleman just picked her up in the middle of the night.
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It was like 4 in morning we'd been like shooting for 16 hours
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and i just remember like every single take i would just collapse like physically i would just collapse
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and patty jenkins would come over
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and she was just great she was like we're gonna do
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it again like she was not at all feeling sorry for me
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which is what you want in a director so yeah
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that was a tough scene to shoot no i no i'm really proud of of all of them for different reasons, I have to say.
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I mean, some of them I despise, but most of them, it's like, I always say they are kind of like having children.
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Like, they're a hassle for different reasons and you love them for different reasons.
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Thank you so much for watching and check out my Elle cover.
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That's so funny.
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Thank you so much for listening and please check out my Elle cover.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Charlize Theron is the Ultimate Fangirl”. This video has 126 sentences and 1171 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:24. The speaker talks fast, about 183 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| obsess verb | /əbˈsɛs/ | To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion. |
| laser noun | /ˈleɪzɚ/ | A device that produces a monochromatic, coherent beam of light. |
| odyssey noun | /ˈɑ.dɪ.si/ | An extended adventurous voyage, usually in search of home. |
| collapse verb | /kəˈlæps/ | To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in. |
| blocker noun | /ˈblɑkɚ/ | One who blocks or impedes the movement of an opponent. |
| climber noun | /ˈklaɪmɚ/ | Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber). |
| fangirl verb | /ˈfænˌɡɝl/ | To behave like a fangirl; to be obsequious, star-struck, boy crazy, etc. |
| gregariously adverb | In a gregarious manner | |
| nostalgic adjective | Of, having, or relating to nostalgia. | |
| skincare noun | /ˈskɪn.kɛɹ/ | The care and treatment of the skin, especially of the face. |
| weirdly adverb | /ˈwɪə(ɹ)dli/ | In a weird manner. |
| despise verb | /dɪˈspaɪz/ | To regard with contempt or scorn. |
| hassle noun | /ˈhæsl̩/ | Trouble, bother, unwanted annoyances or problems. |
| staircase noun | /ˈstɛɹˌkeɪs/ | A flight of stairs; a stairway. |
| patty noun | /ˈpæti/ | A flattened portion of ground meat or a vegetarian equivalent, usually round but sometimes square in shape. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| put up with verb | To endure, tolerate, suffer through, or allow, especially something annoying. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. |
| work together verb | To be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm a lot to put up with.
- What am I obsessed with?
- What's your go -to comfort show?
- What's one film you wish you could have starred in?
- What's the hardest scene you've ever had to film?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 50 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shove /ʃʌv/, obsession /əbˈsɛʃən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like obsess, laser, odyssey.
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.