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Shadowing practice: Chris Pratt on The Graham Norton Show

Listen to the line, then say it out loud
Line 1

Full transcript

  1. Chris, when you got to LA, you got lucky with headshots very early on.0:00
  2. Yeah, that was something that I knew I needed was headshots.0:04
  3. Everyone says you need headshots.0:08
  4. And so I was on the hunt for headshots, but I was completely broke.0:09
  5. And I was at the post office in West Hollywood, which is an area in LA that's like a predominantly gay area.0:12
  6. And I was there getting...0:22
  7. like picking up some men.0:24
  8. I mean, hey.0:27
  9. What a great story.0:29
  10. What a great story.0:31
  11. That's a great story.0:31
  12. Thank you.0:32
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  1. It gets shown.0:35
  2. No, I mean...0:36
  3. Awesome.0:45
  4. Well, and I saw this guy was like, had this look.0:47
  5. He was like...0:51
  6. like he recognized me.0:52
  7. I was like, hello?0:53
  8. And he was like, you look familiar.0:56
  9. Have I shot you?0:58
  10. And I was like, I've never been shot.1:00
  11. I don't believe you've shot me.1:03
  12. And he was like, no, I'm a do you model?1:06
  13. I'm a photographer.1:09
  14. Do you model?1:10
  15. And I was like, no, but I need...1:10
  16. Have you ever heard of headshots?1:12
  17. I need something called headshots.1:14
  18. I was 20 years old.1:15
  19. And the guy was like, I do headshots.1:17
  20. I live like two blocks from here.1:20
  21. Oh, no.1:21
  22. I'll give you headshots.1:24
  23. I was like, well, what does it cost?1:25
  24. He's like, just cut...1:28
  25. it's fine.1:30
  26. I'll cover you.1:30
  27. I was like, oh, sweet.1:31
  28. Okay, let's go.1:32
  29. And so I go to this guy's apartment.1:34
  30. He lived on the top floor.1:38
  31. Really nice apartment.1:39
  32. Amazing furnishings.1:40
  33. He was like, listen, you probably...1:43
  34. You're a little grimy.1:46
  35. You probably need a shower.1:47
  36. I was like, that's a really good idea.1:48
  37. Yes, I did.1:53
  38. I showered.1:54
  39. You know, all kinds of good soaps.1:57
  40. And I was like, this is great.1:59
  41. I probably needed a shower.2:01
  42. And then he was like, hmm, you should probably wear some different clothes.2:02
  43. So he gives me this nice, nice white shirt that has a polo shirt, nice shirt.2:06
  44. And it kind of helps me and judges me up and stuff.2:11
  45. And we go out on the balcony and he takes a bunch of photos and he's like directing me and telling me what to do.2:15
  46. And he takes all these photos and takes the film out of the camera and he puts it in the film thing and he just gives it to me.2:22
  47. And he was like, there you go.2:30
  48. And I just walked out and I was like, yeah, not stick to that story as well.2:33
  49. Look at the picture.2:40
  50. Look at the picture you got.2:41
  51. Yeah, it's really embarrassing.2:42
  52. No, it's beautiful.2:43
  53. Oh, my God.2:44
  54. That silenced the audience.2:46
  55. Oh, my God.2:47
  56. Look at him.2:48
  57. Look at my hair.2:48
  58. That was a guy who clearly couldn't afford a haircut, let alone a headshot.2:49
  59. Did you ever see him again?2:55
  60. I don't know that I ever saw him again.2:56
  61. If you're watching, thank you for my headshots.2:58
  62. They were awesome.3:00
  63. He's probably making money of those pictures he took of you in the shower that you didn't know about.3:01
  64. Oh, so...3:07
  65. You paid him for those.3:09
  66. Yeah, I only talked a little bit about that.3:10
  67. This is really embarrassing to do in front of a whole room full of Brits here, but I'll try it anyways.3:17
  68. So it's like...3:22
  69. It's like, honestly, I'm like, I slowly scarred.3:23
  70. I feel good.3:27
  71. Who -a -wa, let's kick some ass, kick some ass.3:28
  72. Who's number one?3:30
  73. We are.3:31
  74. Who's number two?3:32
  75. Who gives a fuck?3:33

English Speaking Practice with a Fast British Chat Show Story

On The Graham Norton Show, Chris Pratt tells Graham the story of how he got his first headshots when he was broke and twenty years old in Los Angeles. It is unscripted celebrity chat, not a scene, so the sentences come out the way real speech does, doubled back on, laughed through, cut off mid word. The clip runs at 223 words per minute, faster than 80 percent of the catalogue, and sits at B1, so this is not gentle material.

Across 87 lines, Graham asks the questions and Chris answers in bursts, which makes the clip good english speaking practice for real back and forth rather than a monologue. The pace forces you to keep up rather than pause between neat sentences, which is closer to how a conversation actually sounds than most listening material aimed at learners.

The Language in Chris Pratt's Headshots Story: British English Pronunciation Practice

Graham opens with a full question you can lean on for rhythm. "Chris, when you got to LA, you got lucky with headshots very early on." Say it at his pace once, then slow it down and notice where the stress falls, on LA and on lucky, not on every word evenly.

  • "I was like, hello?" quotes a reported speech pattern where like introduces the exact word said, with the pitch climbing on hello to play surprise. Practice that rise, not a flat reading, this is part of what improving your english accent means in casual storytelling.
  • "I don't believe you've shot me." lands the joke on the double meaning of shot, a photograph to Chris, a gunshot to the listener. Keep the stress on shot both times so the joke reads and you sound like you understood it, not like you are just reading words.
  • "He's like, just cut..." breaks off mid sentence, the kind of self interruption real speakers do constantly and scripted dialogue almost never does. Shadow the cut off itself, not a tidied up finish.

How to Shadow This Line by Line Through the Headshots Story

Work the clip in the order the story unfolds rather than jumping around. Each step below points at a specific line, so you are practising english speaking with this recording, not a general drill.

  • Start on line one, Graham's question, and shadow this line whole before touching anything else, since it sets the pace for the rest of the clip.
  • Move to "I was like, hello?" and repeat it five times, chasing the rising pitch on the last word rather than the words themselves.
  • Take "I don't believe you've shot me." on its own and read it for the joke, matching Chris's stress on shot.
  • Shadow "He's like, just cut..." as it is, unfinished, then let the next line finish the thought the way the recording does.
  • Once the four lines are solid, run the opening exchange straight through for daily english conversation practice, matching Graham's question to Chris's answer without a gap.
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