Shadowing Practice: Christian Bale Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ - Learn English Speaking with Video

I don't really know how to do the sort of prep stuff without it being somewhat intensive, because otherwise I just don't feel I have the confidence.

I always imagine that I'm going to get to set and the director's going to go, I don't even like this scene.

Make it up and I've got to be ready for that.

And if I'm not ready for that, I feel very insecure arriving on the set.

American Psycho.

New card.

What do you think?

Woohoo!

Very nice.

Look at that.

Picked them up from the printers yesterday.

Good colorin'.

That's bone.

Any scene we were doing every single day, I had the book by my side, and I would read through it every single time, because Brett had just had so many wonderful descriptions.

And I think that was why Mary and I clicked, was because when I first went and auditioned for her, I just went to her apartment, and it was just her with a little camera.

And I didn't approach it like she said the other actors had, where they were talking about what's his childhood, what's the reason he's become this.

I was like, "Ah, none of that really matters.

He's just like this alien." And so, as we were doing the scene, I started laughing And she started cracking up,

and we both realized we had the same very sick sense of humor.

And we were like, "Oh, yeah, all right, this will work between us." She really put herself on the line, you know, and I so appreciate that,

because she had so many known actors who were stepping up and wanted to do it.

And she just said, "No, I want Christian," even though all the financiers were saying, "We're going to give you no money." And then actually kicked the two of us off.

You know, we went and we did a stage reading in New York for it.

And the Brayson Ellis was there and then we got the money, yay!

But what our agents forgot to do-- our agents at the time-- forgot to do was to include us in the package.

And so we raised the money.

And then they said, right, and the two of you, bye bye.

But I went a little bit psycho myself in that, in that I just said, no. "No, I'm still making the film." And even though other people were cast,

other directors were on board, I just kept on prepping.

And I would call Mary up and she would say, "Christian, they've given it to other people." And I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it doesn't matter, we're still gonna make it." And she was like,

"Ooh, he's lost the plot." And all my friends were saying that to me, like, "What are you doing?" And I was turning down.

It wasn't like I was getting offered much, but, you know, a couple of projects.

Not really good ones, I turned them down.

And kept on going and lo and behold, look at that, it did eventually come back.

So that felt like a great victory.

Don't doubt your gut instincts, you know, always listen, always be aware of the style that the director is looking for.

But understand, you're always going to bring something unique from anybody else.

pat me on the back and go, "Oh, yeah, we love him." And I was like, "Yeah, ironically, right?" What do you mean?

So it was always worrying, even back then.

But clearly, look, it's a satire.

on capitalism in the 80s and as such is so bloody far -fetched and ridiculous that, you know, to me I can't help but think it's hilarious.

Do you like Phil Collins?

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album.

I'm not going to ruin anyone's enjoyment and say that I'm not a huge fan and that they're not life -changing songs.

Of course they are, for everyone, right?

Come on, when you admit it.

For me, music's so much a part of actually building characters as well.

You know, like for Amsterdam, David and I were listening to and watching a lot of jazz documentaries, etc. And I use all sorts of different music to help me,

you know, get into the mood when I'm working.

Because emotion really comes through the ears, you know, something that you notice when you're in the edit room.

You really see how you can see the visual.

Keep that the same, but change the music, and it absolutely changes the way you feel about it.

So it's such a joy of life.

Get a goddamn job, Al.

You've got a negative attitude.

That's what's stopping you.

I remember somebody threatening me on the street, because some people did object to the film getting made and all that.

And I remember people saying that they were going to do me harm and stuff like that.

And I would actually go like, I remember somebody warned me, must have been a friend of mine who was crazy early on the Internet.

and you go down this back alley and they say

that they're going to jump on you and they're going to rip your cerebral cortex out of your head.

So please don't go down that alley.

So of course I was like, I'm going to that alley.

I want to see what happens.

Unfortunately, nothing.

I kept walking up and down it going.

Where are they?

Come on.

What's...

But nothing ever happened.

Batman.

I'm Batman.

What a weirdo, right?

Jumping around.

town at night in a bat outfit.

In many ways, in the same way that people were telling me, "Hey, you can't go play Patrick Bateman, it's career suicide." And I was like, "Bring it on." I definitely want to do that.

Other people also said, "Hey, you know, if you play Batman, that's it.

You're never going to play anything else again.

You will always be Batman." And I went, "Bring it on.

Let's see if that happens." Because I just always felt like, "Look, if I don't have the skill to be able to rise above that, then I don't deserve to either." I absolutely know

and cherish the fact that that will be the role I'm probably remembered for most, you know, every reason, iconic, you know, larger -than -life role.

But I don't view it really as, "Oh, being stopped in the street." For me, it was, "Ah.

I could pay off my house.

That's a huge relief, you know.

That was a dream of mine since being a kid.

So I really appreciate that.

I thank Chris Nolan Noend for that, you know, the experience of actually working with him, of course, and we went on to make, you know, four films together.

But the fact that that allowed me to make so many other films, you know, for instance, it took Mary a Herculean effort,

which I so appreciate, to get me cast in American Psycho post -Batman.

It got a little bit easier for directors to suggest me and financiers to say, OK, yeah, we'll take him.

You've got the wounded child who never moved on from the atrocity

and tragedy that happens to him and he loses his parents.

And then the kind of monster that represents, you know, all this anger and that he, you know, concentrates, focuses into this character of the Batman.

And then the kind of charade, which is the playboy, apparently vacant and

that no one would ever suspect of having any beliefs or causes ever in his life.

Most of my recollection of making Batman is sitting doing crosswords by myself in a blue tent with very uncomfortable stuff on, because they want to be ready in 15 minutes at any given go.

So I was always sitting there, these things going, four down,

Hello, is anyone out there?

Heath Ledger who oh my god, you know what a performance what a pleasure to have gone to work with him

100

and just to see him You know

101

and how much he put himself into the Joker and I would and I was watching it going yeah,

102

this is absolutely fantastic and Are we in trouble here of when Chris and I first sat down?

103

We said, you know what?

104

The problem with Batman is, is that the villains are always more interesting, right?

105

And so Batman actually, he's very close to being a villain himself.

106

So let's never let him become dull by comparison.

107

And unfortunately, I was sitting there going, I'm feeling a little bit dull by comparison because Heath is just like killing this.

108

But I'm so proud of that film.

109

I love it.

110

The Dark Knight is absolutely extraordinary.

111

You know, and it was such a pleasure to have gone to work with Heath.

112

I don't want to kill you.

113

What would I do without you?

114

Go back to ripping off mob dealers?

115

No, no. No. No, you.

116

You complete...

117

Me?

118

You're garbage, you kills for money.

119

Don't talk like one of them, you're not!

120

Even if you'd like to be.

121

He was a wonderful go -kart driver, racer.

122

Yeah, we went and raced the go -karts, and holy crap, he beat all the stunt guys and everything.

123

He was quick.

124

When we went to the track, we thought, of course the stunt guys are going to win, and then suddenly Heath wins.

125

Gets top place and then very quietly mentions, "Yeah, my dad was a go -kart racer." Very talented individual and a great soul to be around.

126

Yeah, I miss him greatly.

127

The Fighter.

128

Dickie, he's such a character, like he makes his presence felt all the time.

129

I mean, I spent so much time hanging out with Dickie beforehand and still in touch, and still in touch with Dickie Jr. Being in Lowell, hanging out with him, going, walking around, getting kicked out of bars,

130

having almost every cop stopping and going, "Hey, hey, Dickie," and then telling me about a story about when they arrested him.

131

Going to the boxing gym, jumping in the ring sparring with him and oh my God, it's really quite something when you, you might think you can be a decent boxer.

132

You spar with other amateurs and whatnot.

133

I've done that a few times.

134

But when you get in the ring with a pro, bloody hell.

135

I remember one time he was sitting and he was reading the script.

136

And I was busy doing something else, and suddenly I see him stand up, and he starts walking over to David, like...

137

And I could see something had happened.

138

And I went, "Wait, this ain't good." And jumped over and said, "Dicky, Dicky, Dicky, what?" And just kind of talked him down, because it was about, sort of, "Hey, look, when you tell someone's story,

139

you've got to tell the good stuff, and you've got to tell the bad stuff,

140

otherwise there ain't no story there at all." made more films together.

141

And I loved it.

142

I loved playing Dickie so much.

143

There were hilarious things and there was...

144

you know, stuff to do with just sort of almost being shut down by the local cops and things like that.

145

But to me, that's all part of the fun of it.

146

They're a machinist.

147

- Thank you.

148

- You okay?

149

- Okay.

150

Don't I look okay?

151

Brad, when I turned up, was really stunned at how much weight I'd lost.

152

He went, "Oh, you really did it." Like, he didn't think I really was going to.

153

That was just a outward show of his guilt and being eaten alive, literally, you know, by guilt.

154

I'd come off of making a couple of films

155

that I'd been less than satisfied with and just really wanted something where I could become immersed and obsessed with it.

156

You know, I mean, I remember at the time it was like not the smart "Oh,

157

bloody hell, I'm gonna lose my place where I'm living." And I was quite newly married and all that.

158

So it wasn't the business smart thing to do, but I've never been smart in a business way.

159

But it was something that I really wanted to challenge myself and kind of see, could I achieve that?

160

Could I fulfill how I imagined the part of Trevor should be played, you know, and testing myself.

161

Perfect fit.

162

A lot of times actually I would sit there with headphones in

163

but I wasn't listening to anything I was just pretending to listen

164

so that I could actually hear everything that was going on

165

But nobody thought I could also at the time I was engaged in a very filthy habit of smoking

166

So I was rolling my own cigarettes and sitting there puffing away.

167

I did read numerous things I remember Because the conversation with Brad the director was a crime and punishment,

168

but then I was reading a lot lighter fair as well Somehow, losing all the physical weight put all the energy into my brain.

169

So I only slept two hours a night.

170

And all I wanted to do was read.

171

And so I would just sit and read endlessly.

172

And I found that I could read without stopping and needing to move or get a distraction.

173

I could just sit and read for 10 hours straight without moving a muscle.

174

I can't do that now.

175

The Big Short.

176

I've been very clear.

177

People will.. withdraw their money.

178

- That would be so stupid.

179

I mean, if the fund's capitals drop too much, then the swaps' contracts are voided,

180

and then the banks uh get to keep all of the wait a minute all of it what The contract's avoided?

181

The contract's avoided.

182

I had a wonderful day where we sat in his darkened office together and just chatted.

183

And they had scheduled all these things for us to go out and about and do different stuff.

184

And we ended up doing none of that

185

because we just enjoyed talking with each other so much and had just an extraordinary day.

186

And he was so helpful.

187

And then he came to visit the set.

188

And then, you know, we keep in touch from time to time.

189

And he's an extraordinarily special guy.

190

And wow, what a role.

191

And also my first time working with Adam, which I just loved.

192

You know, he's something else, you know.

193

It's like with David, you know, when you get really great directors, they're very unique in the way that they work.

194

Anyone who plays drums can look and go.

195

Christian doesn't employ drums.

196

But that, to me, was not the point.

197

The point was not that Michael Burry was a shit -hot drummer.

198

It was that he took his anger out on these drums.

199

And I did.

200

I was just shattering the drumsticks.

201

They were flying across the crew.

202

I had to all put shields up because so many of them were flying at speed at everybody.

203

I love to get to interview people.

204

I love to get to really study them in an obsessive way that you wouldn't get to usually.

205

That's part of the joy of the job for me.

206

Vice.

207

In a sense that you're a kinetic leader.

208

You make decisions based on instinct.

209

I am.

210

People like to say that.

211

Yeah, yeah.

212

Very different.

213

Very different from your father in that regard.

214

All right.

215

All right.

216

Let's dig a bit deeper and go.

217

Do the very unlikely thing of me playing Dick Cheney, which I was like, "What?

218

Adam? Are you...

219

Hi?" Usually they don't allow special effects makeup artists that much time to prep, but I said, "No, wait, we've got to have, you know,

220

months and months and months to get anywhere close to something that can work here." Because it's the movement, you know?

221

Thank God, you know, we had people who were patient enough with me to just kind of keep going

222

and keep going and keep going until eventually going, "All right, I think we're in the realm." experience working with Adam.

223

He uses a mic and will kind of just chuck out lines and chuck out ideas and try saying this instead.

224

Not improvising, but like, you know, suggesting lines and nudging you in the right direction.

225

But you've got to be prepared to pivot and be on your toes, even though Cheney's very not somebody who you would think of as being on his toes.

226

He's very much like flat -footed.

227

But yeah, no, really enjoyed the immersion that that took,

228

you know, even though it was like the it could be possible that I could play him.

229

And to give it a shot was a wonderful risk.

230

You have authorization to shoot down any aircraft deemed a threat.

231

Presidential authority?

232

That is correct.

233

All orders are UNIDIR.

234

UNIDIR, sir.

235

Unless otherwise directed.

236

Mr. Vice President, are we sure these are the proper rules of engagement?

237

The country is under attack.

238

The ROE is fluid.

239

Well, he was very brilliant.

240

You know, he is.

241

He is a brilliant man.

242

You know, whether you agree with what he Vision 10 you know, was and is, there's absolute brilliance in intelligence there.

243

You know, he rose incredibly quickly for good reason.

244

He understood the machinery of politics better than anyone else did.

245

And so he could manipulate that.

246

And for someone who was absolutely awful at retail, politics, you know, he had no interest in kissing babies or whatever.

247

He was very interested in the true mechanics of power and how that works, and there's nobody better at it than him.

248

Empire of the Sun.

249

Man, what an adventure.

250

Yeah, it was something else.

251

I got to not go to school and travel about by myself.

252

I realised that every film didn't build a bloody runway

253

that planes could land on in the middle of a marshland in Spain, or build a pagoda, or build huge hospitals, or build literally half a full -size stadium.

254

out there.

255

I didn't realize every film didn't travel to China and have, you know, 10 ,000 extras up and down the bund.

256

You know, it wasn't until later when I was on much smaller films, I went, oh, yeah, that was a big one.

257

Which I think was great in that way, because I didn't really feel any pressure.

258

And at that age, I didn't really feel like an actual film was going to come out of it at the end.

259

I was just in the moment doing it.

260

Animals and children are the best actors, you can't compete with them.

261

And the reason is because they don't give a shit.

262

about the consequences.

263

And in many ways, that was how I felt when I was making Empire of the Sun.

264

You know, not through any intentional thing, it just didn't even enter my mind.

265

- V29s?

266

- Yep.

267

The Super Fortress.

268

What we call a hemisphere defense weapon.

269

- Where from?

270

- Okinawa, Philippines.

271

Tokyo is in bombing range now.

272

- Tokyo?

273

Tell him to think of going home soon.

274

There's a great purity to just playing a role.

275

And that's it, because every kid does it.

276

I still consider that I play dress up for a living.

277

And kids do that naturally.

278

It only gets spoiled when adults come in and ruin it.

279

by bringing money and expectations and you should do more etc. That's when things go wrong.

280

I never felt that while I was filming and You know, I mean, there were times because I, left my family, et cetera.

281

They weren't able to come with me.

282

So I'd be like in the airport, you know, crying my eyes out going, "I don't want to go." But when I got there, Man, I was loving it and I was enjoying it no end.

283

But then it was when I started doing the press, I didn't get that.

284

I couldn't understand that.

285

And I didn't understand why I had to keep talking about the same thing all day long.

286

And I was starting to go insane and then people follow me around or whatever.

287

And so that was when I went, oh, no, this isn't for me.

288

But I always focused on going, yeah, but I really did love doing it itself.

289

So let's try to figure it out

290

so I can deal with this part of it and not have to stop doing the bit that I really do enjoy.

291

price for everything and it's a, once you get your head around it, it's a very small price to pay for getting to tell stories

292

and I recognize and I'm so grateful for what I do get to to do.

293

Amsterdam.

294

How can I know this is you really in the picture?

295

Yes, sir.

296

So, well, I'm the doctor.

297

She's the nurse.

298

He's the attorney.

299

We all met in Belgium, which if you recall is where we met for the first time to Bert, someone who's in experimental medicine.

300

And likewise, so with his brace, you know, it's something that he hates, but he can't be without because he's got such terrible injuries, you know, to his back and his spine and everything like that.

301

So, no, I just kept on all the time because also you see it through the The suit, you know, it's kind of like two little bumps of the metal sticking out,

302

you know, and if I can avoid acting, I do avoid acting.

303

Like if you can just really do it and be uncomfortable, why bother pretending to be uncomfortable?

304

Just be uncomfortable.

305

It was a practical thing because, you know, these were very rudimentary back braces, not like anything you would get today.

306

These were things that he had kind of made himself in the same way

307

that he's working on creating medicine that can help these returning war vets who weren't given a damn bit of help.

308

You know, they were meant to be returning heroes and absolutely nobody treated them like that.

309

It was despicable.

310

And who were all suffering from PTSD, but nobody recognized that at all.

311

your pills or whatever.

312

David and I, we wanted to create characters that we loved, that we wanted to hang out with, characters that just refused to be beaten down by life despite everything that life had thrown at them,

313

that they remained optimistic, refused to be cynical whatsoever.

314

"Eyebrows up" was kind of our mantra.

315

Where is my eye, Harold?

316

Right here.

317

Yes.

318

You leave me here with this invalid when you know very well that I think she should be hospitalized.

319

It's for her own good.

320

I do remember

321

that both of them looked a bit shell -shocked on the very first day of work

322

because they hadn't worked with David before.

323

We'll film the script, but then he will just throw different lines at people or he'll just change the lines.

324

No, don't you say that.

325

You're going to say that now.

326

And he'll be laying on the floor underneath here and then he'll crawl during the scene over there. And I love it.

327

But David would occasionally come to me

328

when he saw someone was just sort of looking like a deer caught in headlights and say, oh, can you go be the ambassador and just explain how we're going to do this?

329

And then everyone got into it.

330

And then it's really joyful and just a very, very satisfying experience.

331

And Margot and JD just embraced it.

332

You know, and then I would go off and, you know, I'd telephone him and go, I sound like a stalker, but I'd be like, there's a dude I'm following down the street.

333

Oh my God, he's fantastic.

334

I'm going to use this for Bernie's Life.

335

Great.

336

And then I'd tell him that.

337

Mannerisms from different people, attitudes, you know, it was all kind of very baked in and over years.

338

So what's wonderful about that is that by the time you're actually filming, it's really in your bones.

339

Pale Blue Eye.

340

There's so many good actors.

341

with the different amount of talented actors I've gotten to work with.

342

And so it was a real pleasure to work with all them.

343

But let me just focus on one, and that would be Harry Melling, because Harry is just a really superb actor.

344

And so I just enjoyed any day that we got to do scenes together.

345

Scott Cooper and I have worked together now.

346

This is our third film.

347

I love working with Scott, and this was something that we've been talking about since, like, 2012, that he had been putting together.

348

He is prolific beyond belief in terms of his writing.

349

He went and did different things.

350

I went and did different things.

351

But just the period of it, the Gothic crime nature of it,

352

the fun origin story of Edgar Allan Poe, and what might have made him into such a master of the macabre and why.

353

He was so comfortable and enjoyed that way of thinking and trying to think about, OK, well, let's create a character that could have inspired all of that.

354

And that also keeps in the vein of an Edgar Allan Poe story itself as well.

355

And I think Scott's done a superb job again with that.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Christian Bale Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters”. This video has 355 sentences and 4249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:57. The speaker talks fast, about 185 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
uncomfortable adjective	/ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/	Not comfortable; causing discomfort.
alley noun	/ˈæl.i/	A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings.
drum noun	/ˈdɹʌm/	A percussive musical instrument spanned with a thin covering on at least one end for striking, forming an acoustic chamber; a membranophone.
financier noun	/f(a)ɪˈnæn.sɪ.ə/	A person who, as a profession, profits from large financial transactions.
kart noun	/kɑɹt/	A go-cart.
preposition noun	/ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/	Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense…
racer noun	/ˈɹeɪ.səɹ/	A person who participates in races, especially an athlete.
stunt noun	/stʌnt/	A daring or dangerous feat, often involving the display of gymnastic skills.
instinct noun	/ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/	A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
villain noun	/ˈvɪl.ən/	A vile, wicked person.
dull adjective	/dʌl/	Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
superb adjective	/suˈpɝb/	First-rate; of the highest quality; exceptionally good.
satisfy verb	/ˈsætɪsfaɪ/	To be enough (for)
toe noun	/təʊ/	Each of the five digits on the end of the human foot.
guilt noun	/ɡɪlt/	Responsibility for wrongdoing.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go down verb		To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
come back verb		To return to a place.
come through verb		To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
crack up verb	/ˈkɹæk ˈʌp/	To laugh heartily.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
go off verb		To explode.
go out verb		To leave, especially a building.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What do you think?
You've got a negative attitude.
We said, you know what?
What would I do without you?
Don't I look okay?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being stopped · being shut · was really stunned
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	they've given · I've been · I've done
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	charade, which is · Anyone who plays · people who were

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 107 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: authorization /ˌɔːθəɹaɪˈzeɪʃən/, filthy /ˈfɪlθi/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, withdraw /wɪðˈdɹɔ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, cherish /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, authorization /ˌɔːθəɹaɪˈzeɪʃən/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, financier /f(a)ɪˈnæn.sɪ.ə/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, manipulate /məˈnɪp.jʊ.leɪt/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/

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 uncomfortable, alley, drum.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?