Shadowing Practice: John Turturro Does His Best Robert DeNiro Impression | Slice Joint - Learn English Speaking with Video

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I mean years ago Shaq fell on me and Spike you know

when he was playing and I jumped on top of Spike because I thought Shaq was going to kill us.

Slice Joint presented by Pepsi.

The perfect pairing for a great slice.

What's going on guys I'm Speedy

and we have a very special guest in the Slice Joint today John Turturro you've seen him in some iconic films like

Do the Right Thing the Big Lebowski and your newest joint is out in theaters now.

It's called The Only Living Pick Pocket in New York.

That's right.

Thanks for being here, bro.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

Did you come with an appetite today?

I'm on the verge.

Are you a big pizza guy?

You know, I used to eat a lot of pizza.

I made pizza and do the right thing.

Is it true that the pizza was always cold?

Yeah, it was a great set, but the ovens really didn't work.

I had a big argument with them one day, but they said, well, you can't really slice it because we only have so many pies.

So I knew how to make it I knew how to do the dough I said

so what I have to just kind of skim it I don't

because you need to go you know like that

and all those little things help you get lost in what you're doing

and believe what you're doing that's hard to do by the way

when you I mean that's that's that's a skill what goes into a quintessential pizzeria this is the vibe

that I mean

which is not a great I mean come on this is not a great color

you know what I mean I mean this color is kind of like...

I don't know, it really brings out the color of your eyes.

Yeah, but you know, I mean this is how it is.

I like booths with, you know, that are a little softer.

Yeah, no. This is a hard booth.

For the tuchus, you know what I mean, it's, you know, it's nice on your, on your buttocks.

I know you've worked with some of the most iconic filmmakers of all time.

I want to just throw a couple of names at you.

You just tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of them, All right.

Yeah, we'll start with Spike Spike Lee.

Well, he's a dear friend.

We're born three weeks apart

So we have all the same references growing up

But I would just say someone who's formidable and he loves to stir the pot, you know, okay

And we have we have a lot of fun together

How about Michael Bay a guy

that you seem to have an interesting funny relationship Michael Bay is is Michael Bay You know what I mean?

He likes to to rub his Took us sometimes, you know, he talks to you

He always tells you but you'll understand it when you when you see the movie.

I'm saying well, that's very helpful

Thank you very much when I've worked with Michael I basically I've actually imitated him

that it's the character I'm doing and then he he finds it very funny

But basically I'm just doing him in front of himself

And I like his mom.

He got very nervous when I talked to his mother I got nervous

when you took I like to talk to people's mothers.

I get right to the core Adam Sandler Adam is a great guy.

Good basketball player, but I have beaten him one -on -one.

No. He thought he could beat me.

When did that happen?

That was a while ago.

He's still playing, so maybe he could beat me now.

But in those days, he would play the guys who worked for him.

And some of them were good players.

They would beat me one -on -one.

I was a high school player, so then he wanted to play me.

So, you know, he tried to back me down.

His game is like the Shaq.

He likes the back end.

I see.

But he's a good passer, too.

He's a good passer, good passer, but I threw him away a few times.

So I beat him.

Then he said, well, no one usually beats me one -on -one.

I said, well, I don't work for you.

All right, quick fact or fiction.

I'm going to just hit you with a couple of things.

You tell me.

Fact or fiction.

Is it true that you and a friend had pitched Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese?

We didn't pitch him, man.

He saw Michael Bartolucco and me in a play called Tooth to Crime,

and De Niro came, and they brought us in for an interview they were developing Raging Bull.

I used to read all these biographies about Joe Lewis, Rocky Marciano, Jake LaMotta.

I had the book, so I said, if we get an interview, let's adapt a scene from it and ask him if we could do it.

Marty was nervous and he said, you know, we don't have a script.

He said, we have no script, what do you mean?

I said, well, we adapted it from the book.

And De Niro said, kids, you know how he is.

I said, I'll do it, I'll do it.

Of course, we were too young for the roles

that they were reading us for but you know he kind of like your hero

and you're sitting this close to them

and you're doing this very you know intimate scene

so yeah is it true

that you tried to sneak an action figure into a scene for the transformers I didn't sneak it

Mike's kids played with the transformers it was a toy

so Michael Bay thinks these movies are like it's about the end of the world everything is green screen

so we fell in the ground and we're talking into these basically poles.

You know, they're not there.

And I'm saying, you know, so I had the prop guy give me all these different transformers.

100

So I had it in my thing, I took it out and I transformed the toy.

101

I said, you know, they said it was a toy.

102

I said, but now we know different.

103

You know what I mean?

104

And Michael Bay was screaming, he goes, you can't do that.

105

This is a serious movie.

106

I said, it's based on a toy.

107

And every take, I'm doing it.

108

And if you don't like it, cut it out.

109

I was like, without the toy, there's no movie.

110

Yeah.

111

Of course, he didn't put it in the movie, but the movie would have been better with it.

112

And little kids would have liked it better.

113

Is it true that the licking of the bowling ball and the Big Lebowski is your idea?

114

Yeah, yeah.

115

I did a lot of stuff, shining the ball, or you know, the nail, the Muhammad Ali dance.

116

So I was doing all these things because it was such a small part and people were talking about it.

117

And I thought, well, maybe they'll use something of it.

118

I did not know they were going to do that.

119

When they showed me the rough cut of it, I was sort of delighted and embarrassed.

120

I was like, whoa, this is, the film has been become a cult, you know, classic.

121

And people have tattoos of their character all over their body.

122

It's like in intimate places.

123

Oh, I don't want to show you them.

124

Yeah, sometimes.

125

Yeah, they do.

126

I'm like, I don't want to see it

127

You start in the new film the only living pickpocket

128

New York Is it true that you were studying with an actual yeah, pickpocket Apollo Robbins?

129

It's a violation

130

But it's nonviolent the really great pickpockets.

131

They're not gonna stick you with a knife

132

They're gonna do it that you won't you don't know.

133

It's like a magic act.

134

Mm -hmm sleight of hand

135

It's a it's a sleight of hand.

136

They usually worked in teams one person set the other person up

137

You know, you hear a lot of it has to do with, you know, the fingers just taking it really thing.

138

And then when you clip it, you don't pull it.

139

You let the person make their move.

140

Someone distracts them, you know, maybe touches them for a second.

141

And they actually, it comes right out of their pocket.

142

The move comes out.

143

This is a story about a guy who steals from the wrong person and the clock is ticking.

144

He's struggling to survive in a world that is changing everything around him personally and professionally.

145

Congratulations on the championship win for the New York Knicks.

146

Oh, my God.

147

I know you're a diehard Knicks fan.

148

I've been a Knicks fan since 1967, 68.

149

But you're not only just a fan, you also are a family member of someone on the team.

150

Oh, you mean Landry Shannon?

151

That's right.

152

Don't you think you guys favor each other?

153

Yeah, of course, you know, well I spike goes, you know, how black are you John?

154

How black are you?

155

I was like, well, you know, I did discovering your roots.

156

I got a few points I said you know, I got like some sub -saharan some northern African I said,

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but I'm not enough for you to cast me as a black person

158

Southern Italy is a mixture of a lot of cultures

159

Anyway, it was a big thrill to see them win.

160

Are you still close with the guys that you watch the games with Stiller and Chalamet?

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I don't know Chalamet that way.

162

Ben, I've worked with, yes.

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But Spike is my closest friend and the guys who sit in my section.

164

One of my biggest thrills was I sit, I don't sit on the floor, it's like nine rows up.

165

One day I came early because I wanted to watch Stephen Curry warm up.

166

So I go to the railing, Stephen Curry comes over to me, he wants to meet me.

167

I felt like I was ten years old, I was shaking his hand, but that he even noticed me.

168

And for the whole game I was like, just smile.

169

I was kind of rooting for Steph.

170

The thing that surprised me about was that the guy actually was looking around.

171

Yeah, and he noticed so

172

You know if you're sitting on the floor, that's different I mean years ago

173

Shaq fell on me and spike you know when he was playing

174

and I jumped on top of spike because I thought Shaq was gonna kill us

175

He was right on top of me his bike was underneath me.

176

I was like, I mean guys.

177

What is it?

178

He's massive What does it feel like to be sitting there

179

and seeing Shaq on his way to you when I saw him jump for the ball?

180

I was like we're gonna die

181

We're gonna die agree or disagree that

182

Victor women Yama is the biggest villain in the NBA right now ah I don't agree.

183

I mean I disagree.

184

I think he did some egregious stuff and he's also very young

185

Okay, and he's also there's other things.

186

He does that I'm very Appreciative of like he said I would never enhance a gambling site.

187

I was like good for him.

188

Yeah, I'm neither would I I think he has room for growth.

189

Agree or disagree, Jalen Brunson is the greatest Knick ever.

190

I think Jalen would say the same thing.

191

You have to wait until his career is over.

192

There's the greatest in different eras.

193

You know, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed in their era, you know, Bernard King in his era, you know.

194

But he's up there.

195

Agree or disagree, the Knicks will go back to back.

196

I agree.

197

I hopefully, I agree in a bracket, hopefully.

198

Are you on the trains after the game going home?

199

Yeah, I do.

200

I love being on the trains.

201

One of the greatest thing in the playoffs is being on the trains after a game.

202

And everybody, their phone's down.

203

everybody's talking about this play that play you're like oh my god this is like a little

204

like village just to have conversations

205

and share it with people that's the communal aspect of doing sports doing theater movies

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you know it's it's a communal thing

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and you know without the fans they're not professionals

208

they're not getting those big salaries no this is you need to i mean

209

i pay for my tickets you know what i mean so i'm a you know i help for their salaries

210

But before we get you out of here,

211

man, why don't you tell the people why they should go check out your newest film in theaters now?

212

I tell you, I think, I don't always say every film I'm in you should go see,

213

but I think this film will resonate with a lot of people.

214

When I read the script, I was like, oh my God, I think this is one of the best scripts I've read in years.

215

And then I read it again and I was like, it is.

216

And it's got a wonderful cast.

217

It's got Giancarlo Esposito, Steve Buscemi, Tatiana Maslany.

218

It's a really terrific film.

219

Well, congratulations on the new film and thank you so much for coming to the Slice Joint.

220

Pleasure to talk to you.

221

Pleasure having you as well.

222

Let's take a picture.

223

We always put our pictures up on the wall.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “John Turturro Does His Best Robert DeNiro Impression”. This video has 202 sentences and 2196 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:59. The speaker talks fast, about 200 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
disagree verb	/dɪsəˈɡɹi/	To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief.
slice noun	/slaɪs/	That which is thin and broad.
pizza noun	/ˈpi.tsə/	A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables.
script noun	/skɹɪpt/	A writing; a written document.
fiction noun	/ˈfɪkʃən/	Literary type using invented or imaginative writing, instead of real facts, usually written as prose.
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.
pitch noun	/pɪt͡ʃ/	A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand.
congratulations	/kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/	Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation.
salary noun	/ˈsæləɹi/	A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or…
iconic adjective	/aɪˈkɑnɪk/	Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon.
booth noun	/buθ/	A small stall for the display and sale of goods.
intimate adjective	/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/	Closely acquainted; familiar.
sneak verb	/sniːk/	To creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen.
adapt verb	/əˈdæpt/	To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit.
thrill verb	/θɹɪl/	To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
bring out verb		To elicit, evoke, or emphasize (a particular quality).
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
come over verb		To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
grow up verb		To mature and become an adult.
look around verb		To inspect a building or area.
warm up verb	/ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/	To become warmer.

Sentences worth repeating

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

That's hard to do, by the way, when you...
You know what I mean?
It's nice on your buttocks.
It's the character I'm doing.
Don't you think you guys favor each other?

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 eat · used to read
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've seen · you've worked · I've worked
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	guys who worked · guy who steals · guys who sit

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 62 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: theater /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, booth /buθ/, thrill /θɹɪl/, thin /ˈθɪn/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: fiction /ˈfɪkʃən/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shine /ʃaɪn/, violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, violation /ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, biography /baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/, formidable /ˈfɔɹmɪdəbəl/, appreciative /əˈpɹi.ʃətɪv/

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 disagree, slice, pizza.

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: John Turturro Does His Best Robert DeNiro Impression | Slice Joint - 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?