I would build relationships. I would remember people’s significant moments. I would not fear closeness.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
Question
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Failure & regret
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Question
What does love feel like?
Relationships
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Repeated verbatim in The Guardian's long-running Saturday Q&A; two publisher-hosted examples establish recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I would have had a bit more belief in myself: I would have reached for America sooner.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 November 2019 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 203 →My failures have taught me more than the successes, so not much.
Sara Pascoe
English comedian, presenter, writer
I would be a bit nicer to myself.
Nothing. Tony Benn, one of my favourite politicians, said, “I don’t care where you’ve been, I care where you’re going.”
More from David Harewood
View profile →After my documentary aired. I suddenly had a bit of panic, because it’s very personal. I couldn’t watch it on the night, I was so scared. The next day people were walking up to me on the street and telling me their life story. It was extraordinary.
I had no idea. When I was a week away from leaving school, a teacher said, “We’ve been talking in the staffroom and we all think you should be an actor.” I thought, “That’s exactly what I want.” The rest is history.
I was a bailiff for half a morning. I couldn’t stand it.
My first girlfriend when I left drama school. I was a bit of tart.
I’ve helped create a path for young black actors. When I go to swanky Hollywood dos, it’s great to see more and more young black British faces. I can remember a time when I was the only one there.
A warm knowing.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 366 answers
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 69 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
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