Shadowing Practice: Emma Watson Breaks Silence on JK Rowling Controversy & “Holding Two Truths” - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Emma, something I wanted to ask you about that's, difficult and challenging because It's something you spoke about earlier as to being such a big part of your life,
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an important part of your life. But...
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recently, There's been...
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so many conversations and comments directly from JK Rowling, whether it's her saying she'd never forgive you for your views,
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or the fact that when she was asked what ruins the movies for her, she named yourself and...
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some of your co -stars and I imagine that's an extremely difficult thing when you've been a part of someone's world, when you've felt connected to their work.
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and then for it now to kind of BF4 180.
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And for someone to publicly say these things that can be quite or extremely hurtful actually, How do you think about that?
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I really don't believe that that by...
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having had that experience and holding The love and support and views that I have mean that I can't and don't
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Treasure.
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Jo.
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and the person that I...
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that I.. had personal experiences with.
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I will never believe that one negates the author.
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and that my experience of that person I don't.
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get to keep and cherish.
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I come back to our earlier thing, like I just don't think these things are either or.
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I think...
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It's my deepest wish that I hope people who don't agree with my opinion will love me,
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and I hope I can keep loving people who I don't necessarily share the same opinion with.
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And I think, That's a very, very important thing.
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way for me that I need to be able to move through life.
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I just really, I guess I,
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to circle back around, I really do believe and having conversations and that those are really important and that
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I don't know.
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I I guess where I've landed is it's not so much what we say or what we believe,
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but very often how we say it, that's really important.
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And that's really frustrating and not what you want to hear when you're really angry and upset with someone.
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um But...
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I don't know, I just see this world right now where we seem to be giving permission for this kind of like...
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throwing out of people or that people are disposable and i i just think that's I will always think that's wrong.
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I always, I just believe that, No one is...
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No one's disposable.
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and everyone as far as possible,
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whatever the conversation is, should and can be treated with at the very least.
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dignity and respect.
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Thank you.
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Thank you for challenging us and pushing us.
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Yeah, it takes a lot.
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I think that's what we're all being challenged to do is try and hold two truths at once.
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And those two truths don't have to be...
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complimentary but they They can stand at the same time.
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Yeah.
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They can honor.
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I think the thing I'm most upset about is that, a conversation, was never made possible.
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So you remain open for that dialogue?
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Yeah, and I always will.
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I believe in that.
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I believe in that completely.
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um, I believe in that completely.
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I just don't.
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Yeah, I just don't want to say anything that like continues to weaponize a really like toxic debate and conversation, which is...
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maybe why I don't Well, it is why I don't comment or like continue to comment,
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not because I don't care about her or about the issue,
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but because I just, the way that the conversation is being had feels really painful to me. And so, That's why...
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that's why that decision.
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Yeah, I really appreciate that mindset and deeply, deeply feel like.
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if people are challenged to go there themselves like it takes a lot to think
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that way and feel that way yeah but it's it's what it's what healing really requires across you know, around the world.
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And I can't imagine how many young people who look up to you
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and people who look up to you will feel the same way to recognize that that's how we engage, that's what we look for.
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It's not that we're trying to make everything pretty and perfect.
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No, no. It's that we're willing to engage in an uncomfortable conversation.
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Yes.
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Her kindness and words of encouragement and that steadfastness. That.
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And also, honestly, just as a young woman,
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to for her to have written that character created that world given me an opportunity which,
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to be honest, barely exists in the history of English literature.
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You know, Thank you.
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you How can I...
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There's just no world in which I could ever cancel her out or cancel that out. for anything.
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It has to remain true.
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It is true.
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And this is where this holding of these, I just don't know what else to do other than hold
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these two seemingly incompatible things together at the same time and just...
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hope maybe they will one day resolve or co -join themselves, and maybe accept that they never will, but that they can both still be true. And...
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I can love her.
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I can know she loved me.
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I can be grateful to her.
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I can know the things that she said are true. And...
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that can be this whole other thing.
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And my job feels like to just hold.
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just to hold all of it. But...
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The bigger thing is just...
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what she's done will never be taken away from me.
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Thanks for saying such a powerful example.
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Thank you.
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Yeah, that beautiful F.
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Scott Fitzgerald quote that, "The sign of a first -rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas at the same time,
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and still retain the ability to function." He goes on to say, "One should therefore be able to see...
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that the world is hopeless, but still be determined to make it otherwise. And it's like, that's...
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F. Scott Fitzgerald said that?
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Wow, he ran deeper than I knew.
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Wow, that's incredible.
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That's incredible.
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Yeah, it's one of my favorites.
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Wow, well done you for remembering that second part.
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Wow, you've made me like Fitzgerald a lot.
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I mean, I liked him, don't get me wrong.
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Yeah, yeah.
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To me, it's one of my favorite ideas.
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Wow, that's so good.
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Yeah, it's so good.
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That's so good.
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Yeah.
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Emma, for someone who has tried to stay out of the public eye,
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you've still been vocalist about causes you believe in -things that you stand for.
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- Yes.
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And that always seems to get-- attention and reaction.
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And so when you shared online your solidarity for Palestine, the former Israeli UN Ambassador,
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Danny Danon, called you an anti -Semite.
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And his tweet said, "10 points from Gryffindor for being an anti -Semite." What goes through your mind when you see that?
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This happened a few years ago now.
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I think what concerns me at the time was the way that that label was being used.
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And I think even now,
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I see that playing out where people don't feel like they can talk about what's happening.
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safely this duality created where we don't seem able to care about the victims of terrorism.
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and care about the genocide that's happening in Palestine at the same time.
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Both things have to be allowed to be true.
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You have to be allowed to care about 50 ,000 civilians dying, 17 ,000 of which are children. And...
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care deeply.
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about the victims of this awful terrorist attack.
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I appreciate you sharing that and...
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Yeah, it seems like that belief system you have in yes and this and together, it kind of runs through so many areas of your life.
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Personal and beyond.
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Yes, I think that's true.
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I think that's true.
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I hope that you've felt you've been able to
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share the parts of yourself and the version of yourself that you wanted to and intended to?
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I hope so.
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I feel very hot and I feel very hot and I feel a little bit like, is this room even real?
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Like, are we, is this like a Goddard play where we're like in some sort of existential room that doesn't exist anymore?
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Honestly, I feel a little bit like that, then yes, I do feel that way.
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And I, or like, I've done everything I can in a context that's still,
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I can still see cameras and lights and I know there's a person behind me, but I feel to the extent to which.
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i i can humanly do that i've shown up for myself
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and for you in a way and the invitation
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that this podcast is and the work that you do in the world i've answered that invitation so and I feel
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I feel good about that.
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Speaking Goals for This Clip
This video is perfect for english speaking practice focused on expressing complex emotions and balancing conflicting ideas. It targets fluency in discussing sensitive topics with clarity and empathy, a key milestone for advanced learners. Use it to practice "holding two truths"—a skill that helps you sound natural in real-world conversations where opinions aren't black and white.
Phrase Bank
- "I really don't believe that one negates the other" – Useful for explaining coexisting ideas.
- "I come back to our earlier thing" – A casual way to reference past points in a discussion.
- "I guess where I've landed is" – Softens a conclusion, making it sound thoughtful.
- "giving permission for this kind of like throwing out of people" – Describes dismissing others, great for discussing social dynamics.
- "remain open for that dialogue" – Expresses willingness to communicate, essential for conflict resolution.
Fix Your Weak Spots
This clip is ideal for improve english pronunciation and rhythm, especially with connected speech. Notice how Emma Watson links words like "don't know" and "I guess" smoothly—imitate this to sound more natural. Practice shadow speak (repeating her lines immediately after) to master the subtle pauses and intonation she uses when expressing vulnerability, like in "um But... I don't know." This helps with shadow speech techniques, where matching the speaker's tone and pace builds fluency. Learn english with youtube by focusing on her conversational style—she balances clarity with warmth, a skill you can adopt by mimicking her delivery.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | There's been · you've been · I've landed |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was asked · can be treated · being challenged |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who don · people who I · conversation, which is |
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.