Shadowing Practice: Johnny Depp emotional speech about audio of hurting himself 😢😢 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Dep at the end of the day on Thursday, Mr. Rottenborn played an audio recording for you where you were Heard saying you were gonna hurt yourself.
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Do you remember that?
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Yes, I do.
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Okay, and I'm not gonna play that audio recording again.
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It seemed upsetting to you But I do want to ask you a couple questions about that.
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Okay, sure Could you please tell the jury when that recording is from?
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The recording is from July of 2016.
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This was a couple of months,
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a few months after the restraining order had been put on me.
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I had been on tour through Europe and then coming through the States, I got messages from Christian Carino,
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who was both of our former agent, saying that Ms. Heard wanted to meet with me in San Francisco
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because we had a—one of our last dates on the tour was San Francisco.
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And I was confused as to why Ms. Herd wanted to meet with me,
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especially since I was under a court order not to come within, I don't know, 100, 200 feet or something of her.
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So at first I said...
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Objection, Your Honor.
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The question was simply, do you remember when that was from?
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Yes.
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To be honest, go.
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Okay.
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So where were you when that recording was taken?
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That was in San Francisco at a hotel room.
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So we went to a hotel room so that we could finish the discussion that she wanted to have with me.
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And how did that discussion go?
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Not particularly well.
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I was quite confused as to why I had been summoned to her at
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that point since all the news was just about the fact
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that I had allegedly done all these horrible things to her
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and so I was talked into I went and met with her in hopes that she would retract
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her lies that the world was now fed, had been fed.
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And in no way was she ready to do that
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and I couldn't understand why I was there every everything had
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been taken from me my children couldn't escape the fact
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that all this had gone down so I was the question was how did the discussion go he's talking about his children.
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It's way beyond the scope.
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Just talking.
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Sir, just wait for the objection.
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I think he's describing the context around that conversation.
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It's way beyond the scope of the question.
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All right, I'll sustain the objection.
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Next question.
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Mr. Depp, why were you threatening to hurt yourself in that audio recording?
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In fact, I wasn't threatening to hurt myself I thought
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that Miss Hurd had brought me to San Francisco at
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that point it was clear she was under false pretenses I don't know what she was after
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so I I had a knife in my pocket and I just took the knife out and I said here.
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Cut me.
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That's what you want to do.
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Ultimately, you've taken everything.
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You want my blood?
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Take it.
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Have my blood.
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And then she said, no, no. And then I said, look, if you're not going to take it, you want it.
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I know you want it.
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That's all I've got left.
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Take it.
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If she wasn't going to do it, I would have done it.
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Because that's psychologically, emotionally where I was.
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I was at the end.
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I was broken.
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Not only had I had to deal with everything coming in from arrows from all over the world,
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but now she's...
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I don't know what she was trying to do.
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So I just thought the only answer is here, cut me, take my blood.
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That's all I've got left to give you.
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And obviously there was no threat to Ms. Hurd with that knife.
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It was about spilling my blood because I thought that's what she, the only thing she didn't have at that point.
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and I was I was broken
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and really just at the end just at the end I couldn't take it anymore it's I thought me
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and everybody I know that that's his job but
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that was quite a cruel objection your honor I'll sustain the objection next question

Who Will Benefit from This Video?

This video is perfect for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to refine their conversational skills and understand real-world dialogue dynamics. It’s ideal for those practicing shadowing technique—a proven method to mimic pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation—since the natural, emotional speech patterns of Johnny Depp offer a rich, authentic model. Whether you want to improve English pronunciation or grasp how to express complex emotions in English, this video provides a compelling, real-life scenario to practice with.

Key Words & Idioms to Master

The conversation is packed with useful phrases. Here are standouts:

  • Restraining order: A legal order preventing someone from contacting another person. Example: "He was under a restraining order not to approach her."
  • False pretenses: Deceiving someone to achieve a goal. Example: "She invited him under false pretenses."
  • Summoned: Ordered to appear or meet. Example: "He was summoned to the meeting unexpectedly."
  • Retract: To take back a statement. Example: "She refused to retract her claims."

How to Nail the Accent & Intonation

Depp’s speech is slow, deliberate, and emotionally charged—excellent for practicing shadow speech. Focus on:

  • Pacing: Notice how he pauses for emphasis, especially when discussing sensitive topics ("...everything had been taken from me"). Mimic these pauses to convey emotion.
  • Stress: Words like "confused," "horrible," and "lies" are stressed to highlight intensity. Use a shadowing app to replay these moments and match the stress.
  • Intonation: His voice dips when expressing defeat ("I couldn't understand why I was there") and rises slightly when asking questions ("Cut me. That's what you want to do?"). Practice mirroring this to sound more natural.

To make the most of this, use the shadowing technique: play a short clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, focusing on matching tone and rhythm. Over time, this will help you speak English with more fluency and emotional depth.

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.