Norman Lear: What do you fear most?

The question

Originally asked

Vanity Fair, to its interview subject, The Proust Questionnaire

The exact prompt is fixed in Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire and independently sustained in The Guardian's The Q&A over multiple decades.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Norman Lear

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

The greatest fear I can remember is coming back from WW II and being amazed that I was more afraid to audition for a job than I was flying 52 missions.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2021 source ↗

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Michelle Collins

Being murdered – I listen to too many true-crime podcasts.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 April 2024 source ↗

Helena Bonham Carter Actor

The loss of anything, be it a loved one or a faculty—my sight, hearing, or mind.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, April 2020 source ↗

Serena Williams United States professional tennis player, 1995–2022

I don’t think about my greatest fear.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2021 source ↗

Felicity Jones British actress

Not enough food in the fridge.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 May 2023 source ↗

More from Norman Lear

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Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Waking up in the morning is as perfect as anything gets.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2021 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

Dishonesty and insincerity.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2021 source ↗

Question Which trait in yourself do you like least? Identity & self

The rare moment I don’t believe in myself enough.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2021 source ↗

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