Shadowing Practice: Michael C. Hall On Playing A Psychopath | Friday Night With Jonathan Ross - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Here's the hottest serial killer in town.
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Please welcome Michael C Hall Little bit of the talking heads to get you out here.
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Nice to have you here.
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Thank you very much indeed.
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Now you've been to the UK before I imagine. Have you?
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We were here for my mother and I and some other people for a night.
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Wow.
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How old is eighth grade?
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What was I?
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Probably a 13.
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13 year old boy in London with your mom.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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What did you remember that trip?
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What do you remember?
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Well, I really it was our first stop on a tour of Europe.
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I had really bad jet lag, so I don't remember much of it.
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I know that my mom did get us tickets to go see Starlight Express.
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I was sitting on the front row of the balcony, I remember.
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And I would nod off and wake up as they'd skate by.
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That's pretty much the extent of what I remember.
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I went to see Cats once, I didn't enjoy it very much.
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Really?
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Well, I don't see actors pretending to be cats.
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Actors are sometimes hard work anyway, aren't they?
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But when they're pretending to wash themselves and lick their own genitalia, that's not my idea of entertainment.
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No, no. And then they come out to the audience, so I don't think they should come near you.
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Well, I remember hearing something about someone complaining about one of the cats getting a little too personal and, yeah, there was some sort of lawsuit, I think it went away.
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If that happens, you're going to see cats, I think you are allowed to grab the actor and have him spayed.
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You must be aware of this.
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And I know a lot of young ladies are fine.
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Well, you might as well.
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Why fight it?
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Well, I am only saying yes because you've been talking about it quite a bit.
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And I appreciate it.
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What's happening?
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I must be coming out or something this evening.
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I just didn't realize it.
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But I googled you.
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Really?
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I googled you.
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Have you Googled yourself ever?
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Oh, I confess I have Googled myself.
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You've got to Google yourself, okay.
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But I was, I imagine when it came up, because the number of the, you know, you can see not only there's a site with information about you
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and movies and TV you've been and so on and so forth, but also, questions that people have put on the web and there's an awful lot from fan groups women saying, "Is he married?
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Is he single?
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Is he gay?
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Is he married?" Just really got the hot spirit.
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That must be quite a nice experience.
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I suppose so.
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I mean, I guess it has something to do with the characters I've played.
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I mean, I played a gay character on Six Feet Under.
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And maybe that has to do with why that speculation is a little more.
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Because you played a gay undertaker, didn't you?
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I did.
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Okay.
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How did the how did the gay community react to your interpretation?
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And how did if there is indeed such a thing, the undertaker community?
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I was amazed at how many people approached and said they worked in a funeral home or had worked as an embalmer.
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A lot of people do it.
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People don't talk about it generally, but if you play one on TV.
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It's kind of a conversation stopper party.
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Yeah, yeah.
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The gay community seemed very appreciative.
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I think they appreciated the character's existence period, you know, that he was multi -dimensional and not just the you know, friendly neighbor upstairs with the little dog or whatever it was.
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A real person and a crucial person in the drama.
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Right.
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Did you study, did you go into the sort of Undertaker environment to study before you played the part?
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Did you sort of so come back?
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that atmos and what goes on there?
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I had certainly been a patron of funeral homes when I'd gone to see
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dead bodies of relatives
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but uh i didn't really do a lot of hands -on research i watched some documentaries but uh I think for me, if I knew it was a fake dead body, I was happy to pretend it was real,
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Spending time with real dead bodies was something I didn't want to do.
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It's not an experience.
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I went to a drive -through funeral parlor in Louisiana once.
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Really?
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Yeah, they have a drive -through funeral parlor down there.
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How does that work?
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You drive through and there's the person propped up in the window.
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Oh, oh, oh, perfect.
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You don't know how to get out of the car.
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Yeah, yeah.
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And you pay your respects in probably the least respectful way imaginable.
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Yeah, yeah.
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This place actually exists.
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Wow.
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But it's kind of what makes America great though.
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Yeah, yeah, the drive -through in all forms.
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Let's talk about Dexter now because Dexter, don't spoil it for me because I know we have season three is about to start over here.
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But I'm only up to season two.
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But the people who aren't familiar, and obviously a lot of people here are, but there's a lot of people who might not have seen Dex's over here yet.
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How would you describe the character?
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He's a very unusual line of work and there's a very neat twist to it, of course.
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Yeah, he works as a forensic analyst, a blood spatter analyst by day in Miami.
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sort of hiding in plain sight and that by night he indulges in his compulsion to kill people.
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But he doesn't just kill anyone, does he?
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He kills only arguably deserving parties, reprehensible people.
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His father, or foster father, recognized his homicidal tendencies when he was very young
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and cultivated in him the belief that he had no choice
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but to kill but that he could take responsibility for that compulsion and kill only killers.
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It's a very cool series.
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It's been fun, it's very gripping as well and of course it's quite bloody.
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Now when you're, those scenes obviously I guess when you shoot them like anything it doesn't feel as real as it is.
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When we see them we see it all put together but it must kind of be weird when you're working with a, because those, I'm assuming they're not real Corpses no no no there are the aesthetics.
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Yeah So they're prosthetic figures, but they're kind of pretty realistic, aren't they?
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They're remarkably realistic, yeah.
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I mean, if...
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I know that they're fake, and it's really easy to believe that they're real.
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There's one that we reused, we came back to it.
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It was a flashback and it's a guy who's all hacked up, one of Dexter's first kills.
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And everybody was on the crew was looking at him saying, "Do we recognize this guy?
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Is he the one we used before?" And people were examining his face and his disembodied arms and his torso.
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And only when they lifted up and looked at his genitals were people like, "Yeah, that's the one." It was interesting.
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So that made a big impression?
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Yeah, I guess so, yeah.
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It's such a scary moment.
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Yeah, yeah.
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So the show isn't all heaviness, you know, it's funny.
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How do you prepare for something like that?
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Because what an unusual character.
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exist and I guess this is what psychopaths do or sociopaths do.
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He can exist in normal society during the daytime
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but then he has this compulsion surge and does something which he kind of knows is wrong but he can't stop himself.
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Do you have tricks that you use for that
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or are there kind of devices or methods that you do or do you base yourself on anyone at those stages?
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I mean, I read transcripts of interviews of serial killers, books by FBI profilers, Ultimately, there's an imaginative leap required with something like this unless you're willing to commit a felony.
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But is there something in common with those people that you've read
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or something in common with their motives or their behavior that you think, "Okay, I can latch on to that." Well, a lack of remorse, certainly.
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I mean, I think Dexter is singularly unique, sort of a fantastical character.
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I didn't in my research encounter anyone quite like him.
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Well, there's no likeable serial killers in real life, of course.
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You know, that is fiction.
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But I'm curious because it is a fascinating subject, isn't it?
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You know, the fact that people do it.. again and again.
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One thing I did do, I tried to get a sense of what it felt like to stalk people.
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So when I was living in New York, when I was getting ready to do the show, and I would go out to a restaurant or a bar
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and find someone who seemed to be alone and endow them with reprehensible characteristics and follow them around.
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Are you sure you want to tell this story in front of an audience?
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With camera's going.
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I didn't follow them home.
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I just wanted to see what it felt like to follow someone covertly.
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It was really easy.
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How often have you indulged in this behavior like three times long time ago I
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That's twice more than you needed to really.
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You're right.
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You're right.
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You're right.
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You liked it, didn't you?
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I did a little bit.
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Did they not see you following?
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I mean, how far away do you have to follow someone?
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I always tried to stay at least like a quarter of a block away.
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Yeah.
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And did you, did they ever turn around and you said, "Oh, pretend to do my shoelace up or look in a shop, we know what do you do?" Or...
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No, no. Just, uh, just, just, just made sure I didn't make eye contact.
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And where did you bury the bodies?
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Hey, Michael, how old are you Michael?
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38. 38.
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38. 38.
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You look very young.
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Are you beginning to feel you are your true?
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Ah...
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Maybe a little bit.
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Hangovers are worse.
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You should stop thinking.
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You're right.
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What about your knees?
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My knees are okay.
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It was recommended to me by an actor who came to visit us at school who had lots of these.
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best thing you can do as an actor.
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take care of your knees.
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I try to.
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How do you take care of your knees?
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Can I just say I've never asked that question before in this show.
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I'm genuinely quite excited.
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I do this a lot.
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I feel like I'm going off into uncharted tones.
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You love them.
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Do you take the glucosamine?
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Do you take fish oil?
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I try to.
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I mean, I have those things in my fridge, but I don't take them regularly.
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Have you ever had your back waxed?
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I have not.
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Could we do that now?
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Well, I'm thinking of getting mine done quite soon.
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Oh, you really?
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I wonder if you'd like to make a date of it.
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We'd go and film it and no no just hang out together What's wrong with me tonight,
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I'm acting like a lunatic it's quite alright Michael I'm filled you came on the show I Thank you so much.
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- Thanks.
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Thanks.
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When do you do your-- I guess you finish series three.
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You filming it?
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We finished the third.
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It's aired in the States.
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We go back late May to start shooting the fourth how
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long obviously fans will want to see you going for quite a while but how long do you intend doing it?
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Do you know if uh...
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They've signed us on for a fourth and a fifth season.
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At the end, though, he's gonna have to get caught, isn't he?
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it's going to have to resolve itself in some sort of satisfying way.
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I know how it'll end.
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Tell me, he'll kill himself.
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Well, you know, he said that that's a...
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reprehensible idea to him, but you never know.
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I bet he does.
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I bet okay.
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I'm gonna make a proper bet with you now.
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All right.
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I'll shake your hand and he's a proper day.
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If he winds up killing himself You have to come back on the show and show us your waxed back.
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Deal.
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Michael C Hall, ladies and gentlemen.
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Extended sport.
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Thank you, sir.
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I'm sorry, I'm not looking.
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I'm running on me, sir.
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Oh, God, it's all right.
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It's all right.
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Michael C Hall, ladies and gentlemen.
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Thank you.
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Thank you, sir.
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Context & Background
The transcript showcased in the video features Michael C. Hall, a renowned actor best known for his role as a complicated character on a popular television show. The conversation with Jonathan Ross offers insights into Hall's experiences as a young boy visiting London with his mother, reflecting on his encounters with theater and the arts. This playful dialogue not only reveals Hall's sense of humor but also engages the audience with relatable anecdotes about cultural experiences and the nuances of performance. The casual conversation format is an excellent way for English learners to observe interpersonal communication and the informal use of language in a live setting.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I must be coming out or something this evening." – A lighthearted way to express uncertainty about one's schedule.
- "I Googled you." – A modern way to say you searched for someone online.
- "What do you remember?" – A useful phrase for prompting someone to share their memories.
- "That’s not my idea of entertainment." – A clear expression of personal taste or preference.
- "I appreciate it." – A polite way to show gratitude during a conversation.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is a powerful technique for language learning that allows learners to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Follow these steps to effectively practice shadow speech using this video:
- Watch the Video: Start by watching the entire video without subtitles. Get a feel for the tone and rhythm of the conversation.
- Listen Actively: Play the video again but focus on specific segments. Pause after each sentence to mimic the pronunciation, intonation, and pacing of Michael C. Hall and Jonathan Ross.
- Break It Down: Choose one of the phrases from the previous section. Repeat it several times, emphasizing the natural flow of the dialogue.
- Record Yourself: Using your smartphone or computer, record yourself repeating the phrases. Compare your recording to the original audio to identify areas of improvement.
- Practice Regularly: Incorporate shadowing into your daily routine. Consistent practice will help solidify your speaking skills and prepare you for situations like the IELTS speaking practice.
By using the shadowspeak technique highlighted in this transcript, you can enhance your conversational abilities and navigate real-world interactions with increased confidence.
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 | you've been · Have you Googled · have Googled |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are allowed · was recommended |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who aren · someone who seemed |
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.