The question
When were you most embarrassed?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Being an actor is inherently embarrassing. You have to embrace it.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 May 2025 source ↗
When I was 19 I worked at a gay bar while I was at drama school in London. One of the guys I worked with was Glaswegian and I learned the dialect from him. The acting teacher at the school said, “Liev, you’ve got the region but you’ve missed the character entirely” because I played Jimmy Boyle in a very camp Glaswegian accent.
I was 17 and about to go on a first date with my first boyfriend. I was so desperate for my mum not to meet him that I was trying to get to the door before she did. I ran down the stairs as she opened it, and slid down the last five steps on my arse.
I’ve never seen Star Wars (I know!) and on my first day of a recent job, I’m sitting next to this very friendly actor. I ask if he has much experience with motion capture. He says, “Yes.” I say “Oh great! What have you worked on?” He says, “I’m Mark Hamill.”
Going on stage and saying, “Good evening Lyon!” I was in Marseille.
A business-class flight. Pure indulgence.
Lack of confidence masquerading as perfectionism.
Optimistic, creative, resilient.
Not being flexible enough to dance freely.
Anyone whose party I said I’d go to and didn’t turn up. I can get quite socially anxious at times.
Like everything is in high definition, and life is on your side.
Rita Wilson, Clive Myrie, Neil Gaiman, Dervla Kirwan, Maggie O'Farrell, Naga Munchetty
Search the directory for somebody in particular.