Shadowing Practice: Emma Stone & Bradley Cooper | Actors on Actors - Learn English Speaking with Video

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So, seriously, I do want to talk about your immense talent.

Why are your eyes so closed?

Because I realize, like, as I've gotten older, no, I'm serious, as I've, like, gotten more comfortable with myself,

the truth is I think better when my eyes are closed.

It's not, you have to work through this.

Oh, man, I think it's really nice.

It's crazy.

Okay, so Emma.

emma coopsie poopsies i'm so happy to see you you too you're looking

so fresh am i yeah oh thanks you look great

i like the blazer thank you i have to give it back at the end of the day

and the leather skirt also not mine well maybe

you should ask to keep them okay thanks for having me thanks i just i just moved in

so it's gorgeous i like the the kind of liminal space yeah

it's like it's like we're in a space shuttle yeah

we're also in a living room yeah it's really nice it's cozy

but scary all right let's wait hold on let's begin with talking about

when we first met i think i have to populate the rooms it's not

so echoey right when people come in here and like it won't feel

so like comfortable yeah i mean it's but i

but i like what you've done because you can go

and dance quickly oh that's true easily yeah should we it's beautiful not right now okay i have something

that i can't cancel

so okay what had american summer joke anyway yep i already moved

it twice called it you're a trapper keeper uh

because i've already moved it twice okay

so we've known each other for half my lifetime now yeah you know

that i do know that i think i was that's actually not true

because i'm always forgetting your age remember I just well I guess it's not I just turned 35

and we met when I was like 19 18 on the rocker on the rocker yeah

which was a real which was actually an immense fun a very fun movie

but I feel like you were only on

that for like a week I was it was me

and Fred Armisen and Will Arnett yeah had a gentleman who played the drummer of Vesuvius I remember

that was the band I know

I'm closing my eyes just deal with it all right fine fine just please don't make a thing about Okay, it's fine.

I'm good.

I'm going to do it too.

Tell me it doesn't feel good.

It actually does feel good.

I'll fall asleep if I do it for too long.

So I, yeah, so I was like, what's up?

Is that weird, is it?

No. Okay, okay, okay.

All right, all right.

Keep it together.

They're going to edit this.

We're fine.

Right, we're fine?

We're going to run the whole thing jeez please well

i was just being sure we're good we're just gonna relax

so i do want to can i can i just skip to poor things is

that all right oh okay yeah i would love that just

because i was blown away by the film

and i uh i called you and luckily you answered

and i was able to there's nothing like being able to communicate with somebody you love

when they you've seen them create art like that

and we had an i'll never forget the facetime we had after

i saw it i'll never forget

it i'm serious really just all right all right all right

okay okay fine all right all right just breathe just let me talk

i'm closing my eyes keep yourself i've all i love you

so dearly as a friend

but to see you soar as an artist in this film it was really moving

that means so much to me and

and just your your just your effortless abandon um i just don't

i you know i think i said this yeah there's no absolutely no one else who could have done

that um like ever i assume you didn't shoot an order no

so how the f did you were you able to track her evolution

because you're basically playing a baby to a 35 year old yeah in the matter of two hours yeah

so so how did you do that thank you for saying all of

that first of all this is

so incredibly sweet of you it means you know we've talked about this before but that means the world to me.

Yorgos told me about the general kind of overall structure of the story right after we made The Favourite.

So we had about four and a half years between talking about poor things to making poor things.

We realized after a while that we needed to create stages for her.

I went through the script and i mapped out about 10 stages

and we were like that's way too many stages to hop around

and so we made it five and then we went through

and talked about her language and how that evolves

and then the physicality within each stage

and what occurs sort of on her journey to kick her into the next stage

so at the beginning in baxter's house we basically only did stage one

and stage five because it was you know we only had

that location then and then

and then we sort of did the middle of the movie afterwards did you shoot

that last scene in the beginning yeah amazing yeah all of the right right

you know end of the movie first and last scene yeah first tranche of the film yeah i speak french um

can i be excused yeah yeah i'm i i don't really need you

okay great um hold on we're getting back yeah same yen my accent is

so so back to the uh anyway

okay so you're talking to your to yorgos about the five the five stages yeah

and then do you go back

and then how do you start to inhabit what those are

because you're certainly not just thinking about it i assume

you start did you how did you prepare for the each stage

it was really like the two of us collaborating through the entire thing

so we had like what does

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that mean are you facetiming you're spending time together well

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we went to budapest for a month before we started shooting

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so we had like a month -long rehearsal process with the other actors with the other actors

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and then we would have solo rehearsals with just him

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and i where we would work truly on like the walk yeah for an entire day

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or we would work on you know how she

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and can you can you just do that right now yeah so that was just like one of my favorite things

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yeah we so we we worked on that and then a lot of it was kind of just experimenting in the moment

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Because a big thing was, you know, early on, I went into it being, I think, more literal than I needed to be,

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you know, watching videos of like a toddler learning to walk or how someone says their first words.

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And because she's in this fully formed adult healthy body, her relationship to not knowing how to walk,

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you know, it's not even like you could compare it to someone who's just been like in an accident

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and is recovering and learning to walk.

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She's completely fine and needing, it's just her brain that hasn't caught up so it

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which was great because there was nothing to compare it to

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so it was just completely like imagination this work does

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that not work this looks stupid like this is you know i mean it all looks a little stupid

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but that's the part of that's all absolutely believable yeah well i'm that's amazing glad you feel

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that um but it's a metaphor it's not based on a true story no you know

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that right i got it did my research dude do what did you look

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it up on wikipedia yeah wikipedia on wikipedia yeah man google told google told me this isn't real

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because immediately after i was my daughter i was with my daughter the other day she's like

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so what happens after you

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when you die oh no i was like i you know i don't i i actually don't know

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because i just always tell the truth yeah doesn't google know i was like oh my god

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she asked

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if google knows yeah i was like maybe did you did you look

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it up to see what it's no it turns out google does yeah yeah we were getting ice cream um

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but uh you have a phone though right

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that has internet on it yeah you get google on your phone i don't like to be on my phone

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or my daughter that's cool you're a really good dad thanks anyway

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so so you were uh they're like what the fuck's happening sorry guys

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so so again we've known each other for way too long um the camera just looked his watch uh

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so so so okay so so here's my question

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so the second thing is so

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so you're preparing each stage do you talk about comedy

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or you just trust that you have rhythm comedic rhythm

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because it's just so it's so believable and

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so funny at the same time

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it well tony's writing tony magnamara who wrote the script also wrote the favorite he also wrote cruella

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So I've worked with him quite a few times and he's very funny and he's a very specific type of,

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you know, the way his dialogue moves.

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And like, I know it's

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Tony's writing right away because he just has that sort of like feel for it.

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When you say his writing, did he write the sounds that you're making and the rhythm that you make them in the beginning?

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Because you're not even saying words, really.

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So, I mean, that's just you.

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You and your ghost figuring it out.

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Yeah, like kind of figuring out what would happen.

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The rhythm of it around the dinner table, you know, I mean, all that stuff yeah i mean that's

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but that that's just instinct i i guess so partially

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but it also was that rehearsal process was so helpful

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because we all got to know each other so well

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and we all you do in a rehearsal with yorgos is like mess around

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you play theater games wow it's not literal at all you're not like reading the scenes

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and working out how they're gonna go it's very playful like you're like a human noodle

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or you're doing log rolls or whatever really yeah like really fun things where you kind of embarrass yourself with you

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sometimes he does it with you

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but then otherwise he kind of like just laughs through the whole thing

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which is great is his dp with you

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or just he yeah robbie robbie comes and watches

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and sort of you know gets to know everybody so everybody feels really like

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silly like a troop and free and like a troop

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and that's what his movies feel like quite honestly but it's

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because of that it's because of that process

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and we have the same like no other cast in any other film

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it feels like like i'm watching this film

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and then they're going to take it somewhere else yeah that's

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and that's exactly what it feels like by the time

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you're even on set for the first day

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you're like we we've already had dinner every night we've already been like all over each other rehearsals

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and like you know have made fun of each other

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and you know been embarrassed and so there's nothing

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that really feels like it's off limits when you're on set

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because you're with your friends i've been a hole you understand cocks for money inside me

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you okay with that

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so you show up on set are you the kind of actor where like you're just you talking making jokes

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and you then you switch it on with action

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or with this movie which is

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so in your body was it easier just to sort of be in

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that place the whole time i didn't think that i I was staying in it between at all.

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But then I think once the movie finished

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and I went back to life and I left Budapest and I went back to New York,

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I was like, whoa, it is very weird to not be Bella.

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It is sort of embarrassing because it sounds very actory, but I'm sure you know this.

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We're going to get into your movie in just a second.

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That looked painful for you.

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You okay?

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We don't have to talk about it.

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Dude, we do not have to talk about it.

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Bradley?

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I'm right here.

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Bradley.

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I'm right here. Where?

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Yeah.

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All right, I'm back.

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Okay.

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Sorry about that.

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That's all right.

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It's all right.

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I just take a call.

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It has been a...

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Did you just take a call?

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I just take a call.

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Wow.

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Yeah, yeah, I was on the phone.

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Sorry about that.

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That's okay.

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No, it was...

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Like, I miss Bella.

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I actively miss Bella.

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I do.

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I mean, it's an infectious person.

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She was, like, the most joyous, curious, you know, incredible, inspiring character to be in.

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And so I didn't really know how kind of altered...

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Just to interrupt her saying...

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And that's what I love about the writing, too, because everybody feels that way in the movie.

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All the other characters feel that way. About Bella?

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Yeah, yeah.

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Well, because she's such an incredible character.

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So far beyond, like, whatever the performance of it is, it's like, she is so lovable.

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Yeah.

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She's so...

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But the movie is allowing you to love her, too, because everybody in the movie can't not be around her.

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And they also want to completely like it.

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Yeah.

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Some of them want to, like, stifle the life out of her.

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Until they realize that she's more powerful than that.

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And they still want to be around her, even though...

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She makes him insane.

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Yes.

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Yeah.

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Which leads to Mark Ruffalo.

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Oh my God.

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Who I've always loved, but I haven't seen him do something like this where you just realize, oh, like this guy can do anything.

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He's so funny.

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Yeah.

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He's so funny.

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And just went out on a limb.

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Completely.

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And the amazing thing about Mark is that could not be more opposite of that character in real life.

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Yeah.

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And so in between, he's just like this love bug.

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And he's like, wait, so he was not like that in between?

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This is so unfair.

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Oh my God.

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That's nuts.

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Like, what am I doing?

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This is so, I'm being so nasty.

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And then, you know, it's like action.

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And he's like, you know, it's so, it was incredible.

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They could not be more opposite as people, Duncan and Mark.

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Right.

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So can I ask you a little bit about Maestro?

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Wow.

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I love the way you pronounce that.

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What, pronounce what?

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Maestro.

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Maestro.

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Yeah, yeah.

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Your film Maestro.

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Sure.

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Okay hey, Bradley, this has been really fun because I got to sit and watch A Star is Born.

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You were in the back of the theater.

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And then for an hour after A Star is Born, I sobbed uncontrollably.

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And then my mother and I got to come over and watch Maestro with you.

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And you were not sitting right next to us, but you were in the room.

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And both of us were just like an absolute wreck by the middle of the film

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and so in awe of what we were seeing what you were doing what carrie was doing your direction

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that conducting scene which i was like in full body chills for an entire how long was

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that six minutes yes six minutes insane it was like it felt like an hour

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and it felt like i was watching like a true a true conductor like a master at work

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and you gotta talk to me about that entire process

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because i i knew when you started i mean it was six years in the making yeah

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and six minutes of conduct what's your thing with sixes i don't know you have a little

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huh cool it's not funny stuff you don't mess with that it's only too much

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um i remember when you were when you were beginning the process of maestro years ago

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And you were talking about Lenny and what you were feeling about this whole project and that idea for the opening show.

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I remember having dinner at your house and you were showing this kind of idea for that whole movie.

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So to see that in the film years later was

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so unbelievable to watch you in the bedroom and then moving into the theater.

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It was just so, like, personally fulfilling to watch, having seen, you know, pieces of it throughout.

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But for you, entering into that, what I heard, which I didn't understand, was that there was, like,

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a Spielberg, like, he was going to direct that.

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He was going to direct a movie about Leonard Bernstein.

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Got it.

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And he talked to me about potentially acting in it.

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Okay, okay.

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Because of how much I loved conducting since I was a kid.

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Yeah.

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Obsessed with it.

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How did you get into conducting as a kid?

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I mean, when I say conducting, play conducting.

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No, I know, but what was it?

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Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny.

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So it was like cartoon conducting, you thought that was so cool?

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Well, that's where I was like, oh, you can do this, and the sound comes out.

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Yeah.

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And then I asked

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Santa Claus for a baton when I was just around eight years old.

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And then I would just conduct all the time because there was classical music playing in my house.

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We had a record player in the living room,

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and I used to always just sit in the living room and just start to conduct whatever the music was.

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And then I started to have favorite pieces of music, and I would ask, my dad to get cds of that

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and then one of them was this uh tchaikovsky's opus 35

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and d major do you remember that movie with dudley moore

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and armand disante they play conductors i don't know if you've ever

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if you've ever seen it but it was that piece of music

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so i remember seeing that as a kid like oh my gosh i've had to do

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that music and so i would spend hours and hours

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and then in grad school ellen burston came

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and did a workshop with us and we'd like create a character

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and i wrote a monologue about a conductor

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so i was like this oh my god it was really in like a huge part of me

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and i knew that somewhere in me i thought gosh i've done

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so much work on like believing i'm a conductor yeah that

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if i ever had the chance to play one there's years

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and years of like rehearsal inside of me yeah and

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that i felt

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that way about merrick too the alpha man certain things like a rock star was always like you know

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i've done a lot of air guitars you know and you know

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when you believe you are something it really that's all

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we're trying to do anyway it's the only thing it's the only thing we have to do right

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so i i always thought that gosh

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if i ever got to play one i might like cellularly i believe it yeah uh

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and then he wasn't going to direct it

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and i just finished a star is born

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and i i really found what i loved which is writing

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and directing movies i just never dreamt that big

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when i was a kid but that was actually the dream i had like

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when i saw the elephant man you've been always since i met

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you i feel like yeah that's always been yeah not order

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but yes but yeah

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but i never sort of like gave myself the the the

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license to do it until i was 40 uh for stars born

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but also i had the luxury of like the honor of

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being able to work with directors who really allowed me to be a part of

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that process yeah

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but then he decided not to do it he didn't think he was going to do it

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and i just said well could i what would you think

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if i took it on and then i showed him stars born

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and then he said yeah then i had to get the rights to the music from the kids

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and then it just all started and i just started doing research

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and that's how it started back in 2017 the end of 2017.

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I know exactly who you are let's give it a whirl.

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How is your relationship with his kids?

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Oh the I mean that's the whole movie wouldn't be what it is

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if it wasn't for the kids I mean

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they were part of it every step I included them in everything except for the shooting that I keep like closed off.

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Yeah of course.

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But then yeah they've been they they were invaluable you know

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and and they provided so much just being around them you know

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because felicia and lanny they spoke melodically

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and his voice was just lyrical yeah the kids have inherited

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that rhythm so it was great just to be around it really that's

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so interesting i feel like our movies you couldn't have made poor things

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if you didn't have a tremendous amount of prep yeah you know

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and it's the same thing with maestro there's just i watch your movie

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and and your performance

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and i think there's just no way this wasn't like uh you got a call

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and then so yeah i'm gonna do it yeah you know like this had to have taken years well

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that but that is interesting

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because we it sounds like we worked on i mean obviously

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i didn't direct for things you were also like yeah writing directing producing you were in every single facet of

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that experience and then the lead actor of the film i mean that's

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so much to take on but it is interesting

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that we both kind of these projects began in 2017 yeah

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and then we made them years later i know

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so living with it in that way even

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if you're not actively on a daily basis

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because you know typically

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it is what you're saying like oh six months from now I'm going to go do this project

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and I'll start prepping you know soon

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and it's going to be really you know specific

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and for these couple months and then I'll be

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and then I'm done with it this kind of thing for

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both of us lived in the same frame of time where

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it's like it's sort of more um interior like you don't even even

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when you're not actively prepping it's weirdly like working its way inside of you

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because you're thinking about it so much

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which is a really amazing it's a huge gift and

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and it's also you know scary because you have

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so much time to think about it like to think about everything

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that could go wrong or the ways you could puck this up or all that or at least for me like

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there's a lot in you that is like, I really, I have felt that before in projects.

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And maybe that's because I'm maybe, although I've just recently realized that maybe I'm a bit of a control freak.

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I knew that like, if maestro was going to mess up, it was all on me because I was doing it.

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I was not, I was not beholden to anybody else.

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Totally.

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You know, so there was a freedom in that.

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Yeah.

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As well as a huge burden.

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That makes sense.

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We've done incredible roles in our career, but

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but this kind of thing to me feels completely different yeah like this is actually a period of my life

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I'll never forget I'll carry it with me the rest of my life

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it has changed who I am as an artist and

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when I watch your performance in

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that film I just there's no version where I don't think that's the same case for you

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because it also feels like there's a lot of firsts like you know even though I'm not physically

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you know sort of naked I was completely naked like putting on this prosthetic

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and like being him in the way he talked and like

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and I would direct the movie that way

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so I was like acting from crew call to the end

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so you stated just stating character yeah of course

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that would be impossible yeah yeah but I felt like

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so vulnerable yeah and I'm just watching your performance there's I mean the idea

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that that was a set and there were people shooting it

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and you were that vulnerable with your voice and your body like just being able to act so

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unorthodox like there had to be that you had to give yourself permission

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which i had to do as well of just like jumping off the cliff every day yeah

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and that doesn't always happen

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when we do movies

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we're not always asked to literally jump off a cliff in

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terms of giving over to i don't know people laughing at us on set quite honestly yeah

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that's what i used to think yeah did you did you feel

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that that there was like that level of abandon

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that you had to have i i did

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but you know to your point you saying

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that it all winds up with you at the end of the day

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that's what yorga says all the time you know like he he takes responsibility

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that the final product is is on him i mean he always kind of takes it on himself

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and so i do have

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that separation of being able to really like there's a captain of the ship

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that i fully trust and have such admiration

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and respect for clear immense immense immense respect i mean we've made four projects together now

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so it's like i'm able to sort of get give everything over

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so in that circumstance it's like people did laugh at me he would laugh at me

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and be like that one was crazy like let's get it whatever

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but that was best

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because it was like there's no eggshells we can fight we can laugh we can like all of

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that is totally free and we have such we're so close

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that it was like a very safe environment to do that

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and when it comes to any of the legitimate you know nudity

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or any of those scenes that were

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that way we had this tiny tiny crew

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that was you know our our limited crew was was yorgos

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was robbie ryan our cinematographer who looks at me like i am a table

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or a lamp like it was amazing he was just like whatever yeah

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i'm not even thinking about you actually being physically naked i just meant like your performance oh yeah

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but even in

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that respect it was like there were as few people as possible at any given time by the way

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that's the way we do it too i mean

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there's no video village on yeah

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there's not on there's no chairs not on ours either really yeah yeah

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it's all they're in yours it's right next to the camera

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it has the oh that's amazing it's exactly the same way yeah i don't want anybody else around completely

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and it feels very it feels very freeing because you know

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that you're just to the point where it's all

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it is kind of wow i did not know he did it like

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that yeah it is kind of strange to see the movie after you make it

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because you're like it felt like such an intimate experience

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there was a camera this was a movie like what the hell um yeah

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i knew there was a camera i just didn't know it was on right you know what i mean um

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but we have no marks there's no action there's no yeah i don't yeah it's very it's

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so that's a really nice like which is amazing too

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that i'm so glad you told me that because maestro

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and poor things is a very structured stylistic

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they're both stylistic films yeah like yeah you know we had like three cameras running

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and then we made it pretty sweeping those movies were made

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while we were shooting it yeah you know

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so it was very thought out yeah i love that

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that he that he i did not know

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that that's really cool what was it like working with um

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i hope i pronounce his name correctly uh your your husband uh he was a comedian he was

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so awesome the young actor rami yes yes oh he was amazing

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that was his first film he blew me i mean he has his own show i know

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that yeah but he was so wonderful he's so

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so good i know he's so lovable and he was just like

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and he's so much fun as a again like

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that rehearsal process is invaluable because by the time you go in there I'm like

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he feels like my brother you know he's just so wonderful

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and he's fantastic and that it's a hard part very hard it's a hard part

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and for you to go back to him

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and for us to believe why is really because he's he really becomes

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because there is something kind of twisted about what he's agreeing to do

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and marrying her but then he also is the most accepting of where she's been

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but it's also like you know

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when you think about like the trajectory of like a relationship in the end

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you just want a kind person yeah and someone

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that allows you to be yourself like she's like when she says to To Duncan, like, I'm a flawed and experimenting person.

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We was never married, you know?

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I think that line alone, too, I've carried with me.

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We're all flawed and experimenting people at our best, I hope.

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And he sees you for who you are.

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Exactly.

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He accepts you.

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Yeah, but I, you know, there's so many aspects of who he is as a character and who

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Bella is that I really, you know, love.

489

The one scene I also want to talk about that was your co -star who runs the brothel.

490

Catherine Hunter.

491

Wow she's incredible that scene when she comes to you

492

and you're in bed she's amazing wow

493

that was really just her physicality are those her tattoos no

494

that was all that was all that's unbelievable yeah i really i didn't know who i don't know

495

that actor oh my god yeah so so so i thought that that

496

that uh your ghost had cast somebody who just oh no she's yeah

497

i had no idea she was nominated for oscar yeah you better do some research let's cut

498

that out let's cut that out just want to protect

499

it's really a weird thing dude dude you should have talked to me about

500

that before i didn't know i think the cameras are still rolling it doesn't matter that we're whispering

501

hi you guys you're watching variety actors on actors with me emma stone

502

and bradley cooper so bradley great to see you

503

um what was it what was the other question

504

i have is uh you know the set design the production design is insane i assume most of

505

that was done on us on the set sound stage is that correct it

506

It was exclusively a soundstage except for there was one scene where we were in the park.

507

And how much of that is practical where you as actors can see what it is?

508

Almost all of it.

509

Wow.

510

The Lisbon was the only part where there needed to be

511

set extensions at the top where the cable cars are going across.

512

And the kind of ocean in the background.

513

But even on the ship, it was a giant LED screen.

514

So it meant to feel artificial.

515

But it was a giant LED screen of the ocean.

516

Wow.

517

But these sets, I've never seen anything like it in my life.

518

It took about 45 minutes to walk through Lisbon.

519

You would walk down alleyways, go into a hotel, a full lobby, walk upstairs, multiple hotel rooms, walk back down, walk out to a full restaurant.

520

It was just wonderful.

521

Another restaurant, downstairs to a bar.

522

So you are the character, and then you walk into the space.

523

It made it so easy because, you know, Bella's wandering through Lisbon for a good amount of that,

524

and I just was, you know, just looking in awe.

525

We did something similar in Maestro that like, but we found, I was so adamant that we shoot on these locations

526

because I wanted the same thing where we would just walk because Carrie did so much work.

527

And it was like, we owe it to ourselves to actually shoot in the places just

528

so we could dwell and then you don't know what's going to happen.

529

Yeah.

530

Yeah, that's, I'm a big believer in that walking into Baxter's house and seeing

531

Bella's bedroom for the first time like a week before we shot was

532

so emotional for me to be like this is what you guys have seen

533

Bella's room as and it's so detailed and gorgeous

534

and like the walls are literally quilted and it was the same thing with costumes

535

Holly Waddington who did our costumes every part of the process was like it's just the most detail -oriented film

536

I've ever worked on I remember walking

537

and a lot of it we shot at their fairfield house

538

and i remember walking up the stairs

539

and going into his bedroom where he lived after she passed away

540

and they lived together and just like you know the wallpaper

541

and the bed oh my god yeah i mean

542

you were really in his environment i was playing a metaphor of a person

543

you were playing a very real person in a world that's the same thing

544

that you were able to walk around in an habit

545

when he had the led screens of the ocean did he

546

play sound of the ocean for you guys uh no no no

547

because we had to record sound for the course for the movie

548

are you okay it was a phone oh yeah it's okay

549

we're current dude that's not gonna throw us

550

we're professions uh okay bradley will you talk to me about conducting the cathedral scene

551

i'd love to emma thank you so much bradley cooper um

552

You know, this was such a tricky movie to structure and figure out what I was even going to do.

553

And I knew that I didn't want to make a biopic, but I also wanted to...

554

A biopic, if you will.

555

Yeah, a maestro.

556

Maestro.

557

But I didn't want to.

558

I can't do it.

559

You do it.

560

Maestro.

561

One of the best voices in the biz, everybody.

562

And that's what I keep telling people.

563

No one's listening.

564

Oh.

565

Anyway, continue.

566

But I knew that if I put his music in the movie, then that would do everything that a biopic would ever do anyway.

567

Like if you want to learn about Martin Scorsese, just watch all of his films rather than watch an interview.

568

It's like, you know, so early on, I knew I want to do all of his music

569

and I wanted a classical pillar for his classical music and then for his musical theater.

570

And he loved Mahler, Gustav Waller.

571

And to me, when I was researching it, for some reason, I'd never heard Mahler's music,

572

which I don't know how I missed that, but I missed it.

573

And that to me is the most powerful piece of music I've ever heard in my life.

574

And he conducted it.

575

It was one of the first things I had researched six years ago.

576

There's a YouTube video of him conducting an Ely Cathedral, this huge Gothic cathedral in the 70s with the London Symphony Orchestra.

577

It encapsulates everything you ever want to know about him as a conductor.

578

His ability to harness that music, to be in the center of the sun and not burn, but instead just shine the light back onto us.

579

I thought, well, if I could figure out how to conduct, just like those six minutes at the end,

580

that could be that piece of that pillar for the movie.

581

The benefit was that I knew six years ago

582

and then I just started researching

583

and I was able to get the footage of just him conducting

584

so I literally had him conducting that piece

585

and then Gustavo Dudamel was kind enough to be working with me for the last six years.

586

He conducted that piece with the L .A.

587

Phil at the Hollywood Bowl.

588

And I was with him from the first rehearsal all the way to the last rehearsal.

589

Oh, my God.

590

And then three and a half years later, I traveled with him to Berlin and spent two weeks with him with the Berlin Philharmonic.

591

That is so cool.

592

Which is, you know, arguably the best orchestra in the world, in one of the best halls in the world.

593

That hall, if you ever get a chance, you can hear every single instrument.

594

It was built in the 60s, and it still is like one of the best halls in the world.

595

And he did that same piece with them.

596

And then Yannick Seguin, who was the guy that really was like the other part of Lenny musically in the movie,

597

was there with me through all of the shooting.

598

And he made videos.

599

And he actually, I had an earpiece when I did that.

600

And he was in another room making sure that I knew the tempo for the time changes,

601

even though I couldn't hear it because it was so loud.

602

Oh, my God.

603

And I made this movie fearlessly.

604

And as we spoke about, you know, there's really nothing on the cutting room floor within the scenes.

605

They are just what they are.

606

Yeah which was wonderful for the actors and also challenging but

607

that scene i had like five different setups and i realized

608

because it was all out of fear

609

that i wasn't going to be able to pull it off i didn't consciously know

610

that at the time

611

but the rest of the movie is like two cameras not even you know

612

and then we're done we had very short days yeah but

613

that one i and and that

614

that one day i think was a thursday i just kept messing it up

615

because we were doing it live

616

that was live with the london with 75 orchestra members 130

617

and then all the background

618

and these are all unicorns like they're the best at what

619

they do the concert master showed me like a still of

620

him at four years old with two wooden spoons like that's

621

when i started

622

so imagine like yeah you know i played like sports psychology

623

it's like it's like you're in the you're in the like finals yes yeah you know

624

and you're and you're like okay i've like played well this whole time

625

and also like oh and standing on that podium yeah oh my god

626

and conducting is the hardest thing people are always like what's conducting

627

you're sort of just like it's like no it looks exotic you're like pouring sweat

628

and like a little bit ahead to make sure

629

and you're also reminding everybody of these things

630

that you'd worked on in rehearsal luckily they're the greatest orchestra in the world yeah

631

but still i had to conduct them because the shot is seeing everybody

632

so i messed up the whole first day i kept messing up

633

and the minute i was behind tempo it's over like you can't you're i'm lost

634

and imagine that like i'm doing this in front of first of all i'm lenny i'm directing it

635

and i'm like and i just thought

636

and they don't really give you anything you know these positions yeah

637

and i was just like oh it was a nightmare it was total

638

and i went to bed and i texted the sound mixer

639

which he gets a text at like 2 a .m from

640

the director saying like do we have it question mark that's how vulnerable it was

641

but it makes total sense and then he wrote me back he's like i think

642

so i'm like and i text jason reuter the musical the other guy

643

and i'm do we have it you know

644

it's like an insecure like we got it right we got it yeah of course well of course

645

but it makes total sense

646

but we didn't have it though we didn't have it you to do it again no

647

so i woke up in the morning the next morning we were supposed to shoot

648

that outdoor uh scene with the cathedral there was a scene of her driving up

649

that i didn't keep in the movie so we had a techno crane for that

650

and again honestly like i feel like lenny kept showing me what to do all the time i really did

651

so i was i would always get ready before crew call

652

so i was like at work six hours

653

or five hours before crew call become Lenny

654

and then I'd be able to walk in the set a

655

little bit maybe before even anybody came yeah the crew so

656

because we were all staying right in

657

that little small town Ely we shot in the cathedral

658

that he played in um I walked into that church

659

and it was empty we were not supposed to shoot there

660

that day and I just and I looked up

661

and I just I had like a conversation with him and I was like I gotta give it one more shot

662

and they all came in Maddie came in, Mango, Scott Sakamoto the crew, I said guys before we go outside I know we have time,

663

that's not going to take long let's bring the techno crane in and it was so crazy,

664

like this huge 40 foot techno crane bringing in the bowels of the cathedral

665

and I asked everybody to wait

666

and I set up the shot of a one shot

667

that becomes her reveal felicia's reveal yeah right on her right shoulder yeah

668

and it took like you know an hour

669

and a half to set up i had like the the audio from the day before

670

and we're going and i had like a bow to make sure the camera could go

671

and then i was being her and we had set it up for six

672

and a half minutes and then i brought everybody back in

673

and i actually said like a prayer to lenny in front of everybody like thank you for this opportunity

674

we're just gonna we're gonna do it again

675

and that's what's in the movie it was one take whoa

676

and i did it and

677

when it ended the timpanist the guy you know from the back came running up

678

and he was like you know what you did yesterday

679

it was total shit you know today you conducted us

680

i was like no no i know i know

681

i know no no you don't understand you can't use yesterday at all

682

i was like no no we're not we're not we got

683

it we got it we got it he's like that's unbelievable it was crazy yeah

684

and it was really like there was new

685

and my feeling my memory of that of that that take

686

because the other one i was just in my head was

687

that i was actually floating above the orchestra and

688

that i was able to like point to each musician do you think

689

that's what could where he talked about like the you know it was i don't know

690

but it was the most you know i'd be singing at the oscars like playing at glastonbury

691

which i thought would be the things

692

that i would they don't even didn't even compare to what

693

that experience was it was you're saying those were crappy experience no

694

but it was like really and and i'm not and everybody

695

and and and i feel like everybody felt it it wasn't just me no everybody something something actually happened

696

that and that take that's what it feels like

697

when you're watching the the film it was really like it was crazy

698

it really is i don't know what the heck happened

699

but it was beautiful but the only thing i can say is

700

that you know all the prep you know that's kind of thing can only happen

701

if you work

702

and that's what i see in your movie it's like there's no way

703

she just winged it do you know what i mean like you're sick talented but Like, that had to be a tremendous amount of work.

704

It was, but it was, like, the most joyous work ever.

705

Yeah, by the way, I never felt like it was hard.

706

You know, people say it was so hard.

707

It's like, it's not, hard is not the word.

708

Hard is not the word, I don't think, ever when it comes to making it.

709

No, when you're enjoying it.

710

Yeah, completely.

711

It's beautiful.

712

We're so lucky to get to do this.

713

It's just like, it's a joy.

714

Yeah.

715

The only thing, real quick, did you ever think you would ever play

716

Frank, you know, a female Frank?

717

Was that ever, right?

718

No. No. So when Yurgo's first pitched this to you, what was your initial reaction?

719

I was completely in love.

720

I was like, I deplete, because he wasn't even pitching it to me.

721

We were just having dinner, and I was like, so what are you going to do next?

722

He's like, oh, there's this, there's one project, there's this book that, you know, this book by Alistair Gray, and working out with Tony,

723

you know, who, again, wrote

724

The Favorite, and it's not what that went about.

725

And then he gives me the, this woman, Bella, and she, you know, I mean,

726

the short form explanation of that story is pretty wack

727

and dear right well

728

when he jumps off a bridge now it's pregnant he's gonna take the baby's brain out

729

and puts it in her head reanimates her

730

and then he knows going through life and meets all these men

731

and they're kind of like you know they try to possess her

732

and she drives him crazy or whatever

733

and i was like i would love to do that

734

if you're free and that sounds incredible yes and he's like i don't it wasn't a pitch you know

735

that's what i'm doing it's one of the things i'm kind of working on um

736

but it was i was i from the very it was like a like something was screaming out at me

737

it sounded like the most incredible thing and it's based on a book

738

so that you know obviously there's so much there already

739

but she's my favorite character of all time i i don't know how i'll ever

740

if i'll ever get to get to play another character

741

that makes me feel the way that she made me feel and and that's okay yeah that's an incredible thing.

742

And by the way, I would say

743

that you're going to bring her to everything you do because she's a part of you.

744

I really do think that.

745

Does that sound too hokey?

746

I do believe it though.

747

You do?

748

Yeah, because there's a fearlessness that I saw that's not going to go away that she gave you.

749

I hope not.

750

I hope not.

751

It's not.

752

It was a very, very, yeah, it was a very life -changing experience just as an actor.

753

As an actor.

754

Yeah.

755

What she demanded of you

756

and what lenny demanded of me yeah i thought there's no way

757

it's not gonna translate it's impossible it's like impossible stick with you the lessons

758

that you learned oh yeah yeah um cool thanks dude i thought we were done who

759

it's a good out i love you cool that was awesome Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Emma Stone & Bradley Cooper”. This video has 759 sentences and 8249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 39:29. The speaker talks fast, about 209 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
rehearsal noun	/ɹɪˈhɝsl̩/	The practising of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to…
cathedral noun	/kəˈθiːdɹəl/	The principal church serving as the office (and some as place of residence) of an archdiocese's/a diocese's archbishop/bishop which is symbolized by an…
rhythm noun	/ˈɹɪð.əm/	The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
orchestra noun	/ˈɔː.kɪs.tɹə/	A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments…
immense adjective	/ɪˈmɛns/	Huge, gigantic, very large.
theater noun	/ˈθi(ə)tɚ/	A place or building, consisting of a stage and seating, in which an audience gathers to watch plays, musical performances, public ceremonies, and so on.
conductor noun	/kənˈdʌktɚ/	One who conducts or leads; a guide; a director.
bedroom noun	/ˈbɛdˌɹum/	A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping.
compare verb	/kəmˈpɛɚ/	To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
naked adjective	/ˈneɪkɪd/	Bare, not covered by clothing.
insane adjective	/ɪnˈseɪn/	Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
experiment noun	/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/	A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of…
classical adjective	/ˈklæs.ɪ.k(ə)l/	Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
actively adverb	/ˈæktɪvli/	In an active manner.
vulnerable adjective	/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/	More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
jump off verb		To move from an elevated place by one jump.
mess up verb		To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
set up verb	/ˌsɛt ˈʌp/	To make ready for use.
blow away verb		To cause to go away by blowing, or by wind.
caught up verb		Involuntarily involved in a situation.

Sentences worth repeating

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

Why are your eyes so closed?
Did you just take a call?
How did you get into conducting as a kid?
No, I know, but what was it?
How is your relationship with his kids?

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to always just · used to think
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've gotten · you've done · i've already moved
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are closed · was blown · be excused
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	real which was · movie which is · loved which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 232 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: cathedral /kəˈθiːdɹəl/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, theater /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, extension /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/
Long words — get the stress right: experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, invaluable /ɪnˈvælju(ə)bl̩/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/

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 rehearsal, cathedral, rhythm.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Emma Stone & Bradley Cooper | Actors on Actors - Learn English Speaking with Video

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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?