Shadowing Practice: Emma Watson: “Dating Feels Like a Disaster… But Writing Saved Me” - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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I think what's nice is at the very least,
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I think what's nice is at the very least,
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dating for everyone is basically a complete disaster and free for all.
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So I feel like I'm in good company in that sense.
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But I think it's funny,
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occasionally people will apologize to me for the fact they've not seen my films.
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And I will be like, please don't apologize.
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That is bliss to me,
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like music to my ears that you're not going to constantly be navigating.
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And me also navigating with you,
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this projection of me, or this Emma Watson avatar person will not be this ghost in the room.
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So that's happened a few times where people have been like, I'm really sorry.
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And I'm like, please don't apologize.
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I'm so relieved.
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I'm so incredibly relieved.
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And then you realize they have the box in that later on.
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Yeah, no, my God, I hope not.
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But I mean, I guess I want people to appreciate my work,
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but I think knowing you don't have to navigate that extra degree of weirdness is helpful and relief.
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How do you help people get to know the real you at this stage in your life?
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You know, I wrote this play that I actually sent you to read,
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but I actually read parts of it to people because I find
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that trying to explain sometimes how weird it is to be me I almost need aids.
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It's so difficult to convey how weird it is and how surreal sometimes.
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Sometimes I'll just be like,
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can I just read you this thing I wrote?
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Because I think it's going to shortcut you somewhere.
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And so that's actually been incredibly helpful.
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And I'm so glad I went and did this creative writing masters.
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And I've spent more time writing about my experiences because sometimes I can't even articulate it to myself.
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Like how are you supposed to explain something to someone else that you can't really even understand for yourself?
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So I think writing, creative writing,
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making art has been the best therapy I've ever done because it's helped me get clarity.
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And also just be able to laugh at myself and laugh at the situation.
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I think one-on-one therapy can be amazing,
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but like there is a kind of intensity and a seriousness to
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that that maybe when you're writing something down and
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when I wrote the play I wrote it for my friends
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and family
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and I was able to kind of be more my bring more of myself to the picture in a way
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which is someone who's like this is just nuts like I
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just can't like I can't sometimes I just genuinely cannot believe that my life is my life and
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I need a place I can put that yeah I loved
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so just for everyone who's you know hearing about the referencing of this play Emma wrote a play
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which helped her closest friends and family understand her experience of life basically yeah right is
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that a bad description no no it's not a bad description
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but like specifically I wrote the play about me transitioning from basically being a full-time actress,
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an activist, to trying to move home and like be a normal student
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and attend a normal university as a super famous person.
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And I basically kept a journal of what those experiences were like
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and chronicled them for my friends and family for about a year
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and then performed it as a one-woman show at the end of the first year
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and handed that in as my as my first year piece of work
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and yeah yeah did it get an a it got a
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distinction oh amazing great there we go i love it it actually did not
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that that was the point but it kind of wasn't the point
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but i think the coolest thing was was like i read
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it for my roommate for example who's been living for seven years
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and he was like wait wait stop stop stop he's like
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is this actually how you feel like do do you actually feel this?
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And I was like, yeah,
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I wouldn't have written it if I didn't.
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And he was like, I had no idea that this was how you felt.
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And this is someone I live with.
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And so for me, who I perceive myself to be this massive open book,
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and actually I realized, I was like,
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wow,
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I think I'm doing a good job of bringing the people that I love along with me on what this feels like.
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And actually, I'm not saying nearly enough or explaining it in a way where it makes sense.
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And so even my parents were just like, couldn't believe it really.
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Yeah.
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I'm sure they were brought to tears by parts of it.
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I mean, I was so moved by it.
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And I really hope you do one day make it a production in some capacity
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because it was so moving and so powerful.
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And it was, Emma, honestly,
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it was what every public figure has ever tried to explain to me about their experience,
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yet put so succinctly, powerfully,
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and meaningfully that anyone could relate to it.
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And I think anyone meaning anyone who's ever felt misunderstood,
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loved for what they have and not who they are,
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seen for parts of themselves and not all of themselves.
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And I really believe it will be such a service to
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everyone to share it one day in however way you decide to,
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because honestly, I was gripped.
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I was completely captivated.
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I couldn't put it down.
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I feel like I'm going to read it again and again and again.
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It's not something that I think you read once.
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Not only are you a brilliant writer,
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but it is so true and honest.
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And for everyone who's listening and watching,
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I think the lesson for me is that your therapy could turn into something creative that when you shared that with me,
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when we were speaking on the phone,
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I was so in awe of that that therapy in one-to-one setting
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or in whatever way of healing you believe in
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if it turns into something you have to put together to
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communicate to others that's the revelation like the revelation is in
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that process not in the listening telling share uh speaking that's great
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and that's a part of it but
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if you can go one step ahead truly i i feel this like urgency and desperation to communicate this specific piece,
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which is like, make art about your experiences.
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The neurosis of being a writer or anyone making anything is like,
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I don't have anything valuable to say.
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It's all been said before.
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This is so self-indulgent.
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This is so narcissistic.
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Who even wants to hear this?
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This is bad.
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I thought all of those thoughts probably most days as I wrote this
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but trust me like whatever you think people know about you
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or they know about your life or how you feel about it they don't
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and they need you to write poems write songs make pictures write plays
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and you don't need to be someone with the title of an artist to be able to do
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that you really don't
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and in fact I have to write on my mirror I
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have it written on my door I am an artist
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because I don't think anyone feels like they deserve
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that title I've been making films and writing
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and making art since I was nine years old
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and I don't feel like I deserve that title
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and I have to work at it all the time to
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feel like I have anything that's worthwhile saying I really understand the struggle I really really do
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but there is something about doing it and like having a physical thing
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because I think so many of these thoughts and feelings live in our heads
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and it's not a great place for them to live.
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They need to come out somewhere.
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And once you can put them somewhere, then you're free.
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Being understood or feeling like you're understood by the people around you has got to be the best feeling in the world.
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And I think it's what we're looking for when we do so many things,
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but often that's not the way to find it.
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And I just, God, yeah.
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Honestly, I want to go to every person in the street and be like,
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you need to write a one-person show about your life and then perform it for your friends and family.
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Or like, you need to paint the thing,
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write the song, just do it.
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Because it's kind of one of the best,
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most meaningful things I've done.
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It's trying to make sense of it all.
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And I love that you did it for your family.
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That's the part that proves to me
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when you say the message of make your art
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and you don't need to be a full-time actor or director or movie filmmaker.
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It's like you actually lived that part.
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And that's what I love about it the most is
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that you didn't make it for a stage or a movie or a documentary or whatever.
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And honestly, first I wrote it for myself.
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Honestly, I didn't think I had the guts to read this aloud to anyone.
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I thought it was just for me and maybe like two other people.
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And performing it for my...
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I didn't even invite my family until like two days before because I just didn't think I had the courage.
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Make art for people you love.
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Make beautiful things for people that you love,
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just for people that you love.
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That's one.
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I guess I had the extraordinary experience of making things for the world,
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basically, from such a young age.
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And I never made anything that I didn't feel like needed to be shared publicly.
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And I remember when I made Little Women,
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I mean, that's such an amazing thing about Louise May Alcott,
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is that really she wrote those stories for her sisters and so many people's journeys and paths start because,
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yeah, out of love they wrote them for just one person.
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There was a certain point I remember in my life where I was like,
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right, I'm done with university now and now I'm going to just focus full,
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what I should be doing is just focusing full time on being an actress and doing all of that.
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And I had completely missed actually that Emma,
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the academic, Emma the student,
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Emma the person that needs to constantly be learning things facilitated my ability to be a famous person
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and in Hollywood and that without her
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I actually couldn't do it I needed I need to have both
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and that when one gets stripped away and like even as I'm
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and I explore this in the play as well it's like
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even as I have returned to some form of normalcy ordinary life whatever
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that looks like to me now like I also can't kill
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her off completely you know my public person there's parts of me
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that like still does need those outlets and to do those things too
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and i'm figuring out what those are but i think that's what's
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so complicated about being human is is it's yes and not either
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or it's we need we need to be all of ourselves
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so that we can do the extraordinary things
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that we what we want to do maybe it's about not leaving parts of ourselves behind,
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finding a way to keep threading the tapestry and all of it
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills by engaging with an interview featuring Emma Watson, where she discusses the challenges of dating, her experiences in the public eye, and the therapeutic benefits of creative writing. This will provide you with real-world context for using conversational English, helping you better articulate your thoughts and feelings. By focusing on the nuances of her speech, you will enhance your understanding of spoken English and practice expressing your own ideas more clearly.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Disaster - a sudden event causing great damage or distress; in this context, it refers to the difficulties of dating.
- Relieved - feeling happy because something unpleasant has not happened or has ended.
- Articulate - able to express thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively.
- Surreal - having the quality of a dream; bizarre or unreal, often used to describe extraordinary experiences.
- Chronicle - to record events in a factual and detailed way; often refers to writing down experiences over time.
- Intensity - the quality of having strong feelings; in reference to emotional experiences.
- Creative writing - a form of writing that expresses ideas and emotions, often through storytelling.
- Navigate - to find one's way through a complex situation, here describing how to interact without misunderstandings.
Practice Tips
To effectively use the shadowing technique with this video, start by listening to Emma Watson’s dialogue at a slow pace. Focus on her intonation and rhythm, echoing her speech out loud. This will aid you in improving your English pronunciation. Here are some specific approaches to consider:
- Segment the Speech: Break the video into smaller sections, focusing on one sentence or phrase at a time. This will make it easier to match her tone and inflection.
- Pause and Repeat: After listening to a segment, pause and repeat what you heard, mimicking her pronunciation and stress patterns.
- Record Yourself: Use a recording device to capture your shadow speech. Listening back can highlight areas for improvement in your speaking practice.
- Context Reflection: After shadowing, reflect on the content. Think about how you would express similar ideas in your own life, which enhances your ability to navigate real conversations.
- Consistent Practice: Regularly using a shadowing site or platform can provide you with more opportunities to practice this technique across various contexts, improving your fluency over time.
By incorporating these methods, you'll find yourself gaining confidence in your English speaking abilities as you delve into personal and emotional topics, just like Emma.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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