Shadowing Practice: Meryl Streep - Interview - Mamma Mia! - Rare - Learn English Speaking with Video

Thank you lovely Meryl absolute pleasure to meet you

and New Zealand fans will be absolutely absolutely thrilled

that we're getting a chance to talk to you so thank you for your time.

Oh I'm so glad.

And now you're putting the movie out, you're touring the world and premiering Mamma Mia! all over the place.

It must be very exciting.

It is.

It's overwhelming because you realize that ABBA has fans right across the globe.

Someone told me that One of our biggest anticipated markets is Korea and Japan.

So, I mean, it's amazing.

Seeing you on the red carpet with all the other members together for the first time in such a long time, how was that?

Oh, that was a thrill.

Because we'd worked really closely with Benny and Bjorn, But I had never met

Frida or Agneta I met Frida in London at the London premiere and Anietta came to the Stockholm premiere.

And she was, she's the most elusive one.

She's the one who's stayed out of the spotlight most, I guess.

of all the band members but she was divine and so generous and and so

complimentary about the film and And I was really excited to see it in Stockholm because it was the first time

I've never seen it with an audience.

and to see it with an audience that included Agnetta and Frida was amazing.

I mean I just was sort of bursting.

Happiness.

It was a high point of my life, no question.

Well you're now part of the ABBA legacy now after the role of your daughter.

Yeah, I felt like an honorary ABBA girl, sort of.

I still am faux ABBA, but you know.

Close.

You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself on this film, Meryl, seriously.

You seem to be loving it.

Was it quite a fun production?

Colin said it was pretty awesome it was really really funny

Colin has said he he felt at certain moments he shouldn't be paid for it

but I I'm sure he doesn't mean that but he's a It was a great group of actors that Phyllida Lloyd,

our director, assembled.

She put together an amazingly interesting and talented uh, cast.

And I remember saying to her, In the earliest meeting I had with her, I said, you know, We can only do this.

We can really only do this because it's-- It's about...

living joyously and we can only do this if we really have fun And we really have fun doing it.

So I said, "Just get a bunch of great people and it'll happen." you know, and she did.

She really put together the most wonderful ebullient, witty cast.

And so we entertained each other on and off the set.

Another of your films I've loved recently was Prairie Home Companion.

You were obviously comfortable in front of microphones singing.

And did you approach the same way?

The two boys Dominic and Colin were saying the most terrifying thing for them was thinking, you know, we're not singing in the shower here, we're singing with the two guys from ABBA.

And they were pretty freaked.

How did you feel?

I was...

I was in intimidated in the very beginning when I first met Benny.

I met him in New York and he flew in on his own jet and sat down at a piano and said,

"Well, will you just play through all the songs?" And I thought, God.

because I realized that this was a little bit of an audition, you know.

If it didn't go well, I'd probably be booted off the project, but...

We sat there and sang all this music for two hours and just had,

I was walking on air when I left that meeting with him and after that Because of his generous—have you met him?

His generous spirit, you know?

he gave us the feeling that we could do no wrong and so With that permission, the songs became ours and That was...

That was a great gift of his.

If you add that, these are really strong female characters

and the character of Donna when I first saw it on stage at the West End, it really was owning a certain femininity that's very now, if you know what I mean.

And then you bring these Abba songs and you think, you know, they were written in the 70s and they're now and they are really empowering.

Yeah, they are.

I mean, it's just a...

they don't write many things about three middle -aged women in the central roles, you know.

uh, putting Mr. Darcy and James Bond to the side.

I mean just the cheek of that.

It's fabulous.

They seemed fine that they were marginalised.

They were quite happy about it.

Yeah, they like being sexual objects, I'm sure.

This seems to be a good year for the Chip, but Meryl, I mean, Sex

and the City just blew the box office out of the window and studio execs are kind of sitting up and going, "Oh, we can make movies that are

so completely targeted towards women." Do you think Mamma Mia is a similar kind of phenomenon?

I think that studio executives will never learn this lesson until they're all

Half of them are women and then Bill already know that.

Yeah.

It's always, every year, it comes as a surprise to the executives that Last year,

two years ago, Devil Wears Prada took them just completely by surprise.

They couldn't believe that it was such a big hit.

Sex and the City has taken them.

When are they going to learn this?

You know?

Same with, Mamma Mia had a budget about this big compared to Spiderman, Batman any of the men.

films, though the budget is overflowing and it's always forthcoming, no problem.

And you've got to blow stuff up.

It's expensive isn't it?

Blowing stuff up.

Yes, but a musical is expensive too,

but we managed to do it really you know, on a diet. So Yeah.

I'm hopeful that they'll learn that there will be a market for these entertainments.

Thank you.

They seem to learn, need to learn the lesson every year.

With a woman with such an extraordinary resume as yours, Meryl, do you find you are getting those scripts

that are coming across that you are still finding appealing with roles that you really want to take?

You know, I've never worked more in my whole life than I have this last year.

I can't really figure out why.

but I've made six films this year.

I didn't do that when I was 29 or 34 or young and hot and happening.

I don't know why it is, but, and they've been very big sort of difficult roles.

100

It's .

101

sort of mystifying.

102

and very gratifying

103

but I'm not looking looking the gift horse in the mouth you know could be a real drought next year.

104

No, unlikely.

105

Now we haven't had you down to New Zealand yet

106

but apparently Sam Neill's been threatening to get you down is that right?

107

No I've been threatening Sam Neill that I'll show up on his doorstep because I heard about the vineyard.

108

It's a good one too.

109

You make some very very good Pinot Noir.

110

Yes, no I've always wanted to

111

to visit New Zealand and I thought I was going to be able to get there on this trip.

112

But now we have to rush back because they've moved are opening up in New York.

113

Oh right, so from here it's on to the onslaught in the States.

114

Yes.

115

So it opens down under before it does in New York.

116

Nice.

117

We'll be grateful for that.

118

So are you taking your family along to the opening in New York?

119

Yes.

120

My family hasn't seen it yet.

121

My middle daughter saw it in London because she's working in Rome this summer.

122

So she came up for the opening and she was dancing in the aisle.

123

So I'm hopeful that the others will be pleased, but you never know.

124

There's great disapproval, especially from the youngest ones.

125

Disapproval?

126

That doesn't sound fair.

127

Well, it's the spandex they're all afraid of.

128

Right.

129

But, you know.

130

You have to live with these things.

131

You do.

132

So Donna and the Dynamise isn't going on tour anytime soon?

133

I don't think so.

134

Meryl, thank you so much.

135

You've been an excellent delight.

136

Thank you.

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Learn English with YouTube: Dive into Meryl Streep's Mamma Mia! Interview

If you’re looking to improve English pronunciation and speaking skills, this rare interview with Meryl Streep about Mamma Mia! is a goldmine. The warm, conversational tone makes it perfect for practice, blending casual chat with heartfelt anecdotes—ideal for learning real-world English. Plus, you’ll get a peek into the world of ABBA and film, making your study session both fun and informative.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

"It must be very exciting": A great way to express empathy or curiosity in conversations. Use it when someone shares news—e.g., "You’re moving to Paris? It must be very exciting!"
"I felt like an honorary [X]": Perfect for describing a sense of belonging. Try, "After joining the team, I felt like an honorary member."
"It was a high point of my life": A vivid phrase to highlight a memorable moment. Share, "Graduating with my family there was a high point of my life."
"We can only do this if we really have fun": A practical way to emphasize enjoyment in tasks. Say, "Let’s plan the party—we can only do this if we really have fun!"
"I was intimidated in the very beginning": Honest and relatable, use this to talk about initial nerves. Example: "Starting the new job, I was intimidated in the very beginning."

Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video

Shadowing (or "shadowspeaks") is a fantastic way to boost your speaking skills. Here’s how to tackle this interview:

Listen first, then repeat: Watch the video once to understand the context. Then, pause after each sentence and repeat it aloud, mimicking Meryl’s tone and rhythm. Her natural flow will help you sound more fluent.
Focus on connected speech: Notice how words link, like "it is" becoming "it’s" or "I am" becoming "I’m." This will improve your pronunciation and make you sound more native-like.
Practice emotional delivery: Meryl’s excitement when talking about ABBA is clear. Try to match her energy—this helps with intonation and expressing feelings in English.
Repeat tricky phrases: Phrases like "overwhelming because you realize" can be challenging. Break them into parts, practice each, then put them together. Keep at it—consistency is key!

With this video, you’re not just learning English—you’re practicing in a real, engaging context. So hit play, start shadowing, and watch your speaking skills grow. Happy learning!

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	I've never seen · has said · I've loved
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be paid · be booted · were written

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: Meryl Streep - Interview - Mamma Mia! - Rare - Learn English Speaking with Video

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