Shadowing Practice: Tom Hiddleston: The Puppy Interview - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
I've never felt suspense quite like this.
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I've never felt suspense quite like this.
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One of these guys should be called Thor and the other one should be called Loki.
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Loki's won it.
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No, Thor's come back.
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Oh, yes!
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This is like the MCU.
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It's gonna take a couple of movies to figure this out.
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Hello, I'm Tom Hiddleston, and today I'm with BuzzFeed to play with some puppies.
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It's an unusual privilege to be here,
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sitting in this ocean of pink,
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and waiting to meet some puppies, but I can't wait.
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Bring in the puppies.
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Oh my goodness.
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You a bit sleepy?
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Oh, sweet.
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Hello, darling.
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Oh, shake it out.
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You go over there.
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That's more interesting.
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What's your name?
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Do you have a name?
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Not yet.
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I actually feel extremely calm.
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We're here to say hello to BuzzFeed.
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Do you know what BuzzFeed is?
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Not yet.
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One day, maybe.
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They just re-root you in the present moment.
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And now they're gone.
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There's the most extraordinary ensemble in this film.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, Mia Serra.
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My stuff was with Anneliese Basso and the pocket queen,
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Taylor Gordon, who's the drummer.
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And we had this moment together where something completely spontaneous happens in the street on a Thursday afternoon
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and there's this extraordinary dance.
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We covered the dance from all kinds of different angles.
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The camera was sometimes rather like old school musicals,
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like singing in the rain, standing back, really objective.
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And other times the camera was swooping in and around us and among us and dancing with us.
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It was so free and so joyful and so spontaneous and committed and felt and passionate.
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I think I've never experienced that feeling on a set before,
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like, that was perfect.
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I remember dogs love this position when they're young.
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It makes them feel safe and you can just give them a little tickle there.
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Oh, sweetheart, that's right.
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It's all very, very sweet.
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Mike Flanagan is an extraordinary man.
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He wrote the screenplay, he directed the film, he edited the film.
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He's found a way of adapting the material by Stephen King,
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which acknowledges that our lives can be difficult,
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that they can be hard and they can be full of loss and grief,
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but they're also full of joy, aren't they?
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Yes, it is.
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So I spoke to Mike and I said,
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Mike, I really think this is like a profound piece of writing
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because it's sort of about how joy is part of the human experience.
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And it's part of the puppy experience.
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Yes, it is.
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Oh, yes, it is.
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Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.
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One of these guys should be called poor and the other one should be called Loki.
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You know you guys wanna be called Loki?
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I've met a lot of dogs called Loki.
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This guy's like a Loki I think.
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He's got the strain of mischief in him.
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I've worked with a lot of them now and that's been the great joy actually is like,
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it's hard to pick one because they're all such extraordinary actors and such great people.
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But I'm trying to think of the ones I haven't worked with.
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I'd like to work with Daredevil because Charlie Cox is a dear friend of mine.
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I think Loki and Daredevil would have a fun matchup.
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Charlie and I were going to play together on Broadway on Halloween.
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I dressed up as Daredevil and he dressed up as Loki.
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It was really fun.
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Do you like this?
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Do you like this?
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Oh, who wants it?
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Do you want to bring it back?
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Oh, clever boy.
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I've never danced.
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Are you a dancer?
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Jump if you're a dancer.
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Yes!
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I was never classically trained as a dancer.
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And what I loved about this was that I got to kind of do a fast track classical training in a way.
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Yeah, it also just gave me like incredible respect for the extraordinary stamina and athleticism of dancers.
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I don't think I ever have taken something from a set.
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I'm really like, I've been really well behaved and I sort of just have left stuff.
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I really wanted to take my shoes from the set of The Life of Chuck,
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but Mike Flanagan has those.
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I'm actually glad he does because I burned holes in the soles of them.
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So by the end of all the dancing there were just literally holes in the bottom of my shoes.
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You could see my socks.
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There's a scarf in Thor that I wore as Loki.
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I come down.
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Loki comes down to Earth and he tries to lift Mjolnir,
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Thor's hammer, and he can't.
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And I've got that scarf.
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This is like the Clash of the Titans right here.
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Come on.
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Oh yeah.
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Loki's won it.
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No, Thor's come back.
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Oh yes!
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This is like the MCU take a couple of movies to figure this out.
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So in the life of Chuck, it's not just me.
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It's Cody Flanagan, Jacob Tremblay, and Benjamin Payjack.
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Benjamin Payjack breaks my heart in the film.
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Like, he's just, I think he gives a performance of such sweetness and innocence.
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He might as well be one of these puppies.
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I was lucky, because I got to start the Chuck journey in the schedule and Benjamin came to meet me on set.
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And I didn't realize this,
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but he was watching me dance.
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I then, I finished my work and I went home,
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and he put little accidental,
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unconscious things that I was doing with my hands,
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or with little things I was doing with my body that I wasn't aware I was doing,
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and he's incorporated them into his performance.
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Just an extraordinary, luminous, gifted actor.
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Yes, so many.
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We were on a volcano in Iceland,
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in Thor the Dark World, I think.
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It was so windy and so cold,
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we couldn't hear each other.
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We couldn't believe we were standing on a volcano in these costumes.
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I can't remember what one of us said, we got the giggles.
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The giggles is a very dangerous thing, I'm sorry.
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And we're like, get it together.
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And that's the worst, because you can't.
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You know, there's so many like that.
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I love running to this song by Bon Iver called Eight Circle.
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Also kind of like cloud-piercing and majestic.
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And it's a great song to run to.
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There was one where I was playing Prince Howe in an adaptation of Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare.
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And we shot this battle in a field in England in February.
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And I was wearing chain mail.
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It snowed overnight and we shot the first day of the battle in the melting snow.
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I got pulled off a horse,
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so I was just rolling around in this kind of slushy, muddy, icy snow.
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And the next day, 5 in the morning,
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I arrived and it was like costume supervisor said,
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so they've got to match continuity to yesterday,
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so can you put this back on?
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And it was this frozen, metal, muddy encasement.
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And I had to basically,
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they had to spray me down with water to match the rain
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and put fresh mud on me at like 5 a.m and I was like, woof.
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It was tough back then.
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Come and get it, come on.
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Oh, where is it?
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Where is it?
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Where has it gone?
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That's not, that's his leg.
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That's not the fluffy toy.
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Probably like what happened in the show,
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what happened in the low-key series for Disney Plus.
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I really did think I was out, retired from the team.
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And then a year later,
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Kevin Feige and Louis T.S.
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Vigio called me and said,
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so we've got this idea.
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Started discussing what the show might look like and I was like,
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okay, let's go again.
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Actually, that ended up being,
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in a way, the most fulfilling redemption.
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For me, another chance to play the character,
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but for Loki, another chance to sort of define his purpose.
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I have no idea.
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If I weren't an actor,
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what job would I be good at?
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I honestly, in my head,
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I never had a backup plan,
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because I always thought if I have a backup plan,
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the chances are I might use it.
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And this was all I ever really wanted to do.
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If I had to choose,
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I'd probably love to teach.
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I actually get a lot of satisfaction from that.
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Guys, I think he's had enough of his ear being bitten now.
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Oh, that's right.
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If you give it, you have to take it.
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I cry thinking about movies.
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I actually cried yesterday thinking about The Shawshank Redemption.
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I remember watching that film when I was 14 and I found it overwhelmingly moving.
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I find I just cry all the time now.
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I just find movies incredibly emotional.
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Marley and Me is a killer.
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I didn't make it through that film.
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I mean, I did make it,
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but I couldn't see after a while.
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It was all just blurry and misty.
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And when I worked with Owen Wilson,
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it took me about six months to tell him how much I loved that movie.
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It's true.
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We were between setups on Loki,
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and I was like, Owen,
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I just have to tell you.
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I think Marley and Me is a masterpiece.
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He was like, oh, thanks, man, thank you.
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What do you think?
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Have you seen a movie?
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No. I feel calmer, I feel wiser.
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I'll never forget it.
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This guy, he's now gone so flat,
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but he's very peaceful and I feel that we had a bond.
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What do you think?
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Do you want to have a sleep as well? Or not?
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Not yet.
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Too busy.
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Too many things to do.
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If you would like to adopt one of these beautiful little puppies,
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or any puppies like these,
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you can head over to Positive Beginnings.
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The life of Chuck is in theatres now.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will engage in active English speaking practice by exploring a lively and humorous interview with actor Tom Hiddleston. The focus will be on the shadowing technique, where you will imitate Hiddleston's speech patterns, intonation, and expression while he interacts with puppies. This engaging context helps improve English pronunciation and fluency, making your learning experience both enjoyable and effective. By the end of this lesson, you will feel more confident in recreating natural conversations, which is essential for success in examinations like the IELTS speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Suspense - a state of excitement or anxiety about what may happen next.
- Privilege - a special right, advantage, or favor granted to a particular person or group.
- Extraordinary - very unusual or remarkable.
- Spontaneous - occurring without external cause; natural and unplanned.
- Joyful - feeling, expressing, or causing great pleasure and happiness.
- Calm - free from agitation or strong emotion; peaceful.
- Tickle - to touch someone lightly to cause laughter; often used with pets to show affection.
Practice Tips
To effectively use the shadowing technique in this lesson, follow these tips to enhance your English speaking practice:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video once without trying to repeat what he says. Focus on his tone and emotions, especially his use of humor and expressions.
- Slow it Down: Use the video playback feature to slow down the speech. This will help you catch nuances in pronunciation and rhythm.
- Repeat in Chunks: Break down the dialogue into smaller segments. Listen to a sentence or phrase, pause, and then repeat it back. This method helps you internalize patterns and improve pronunciation.
- Record Yourself: After a few rounds of shadowing, record your own voice and play it back. Compare your intonation and speed with Hiddleston’s to identify areas for improvement.
- Engage Emotionally: Try to match not just the sounds but also the emotions conveyed in the interview. This will enhance your speaking skills and make your English sound more natural and fluid.
By practicing consistently with this engaging content, you will not only improve your fluency but also develop the confidence needed for any speaking situation, including real-life dialogues and standardized tests like the IELTS.
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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