Julie Hesmondhalgh
English actress and narrator
An old camper van that has cost me more in repairs than my house, my wedding and all the holidays I’ve ever been on.
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Death & what remains
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
Question
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Failure & regret
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's weekly The Q&A repeatedly uses this standing prompt, with minor contractions and word-order variation.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
A birthday present I hoped would mean a lot to the person. I had their family history researched and a book made.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 October 2018 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 197 →Art: a James McQueen piece that says, “It’s all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits.” It’s in our bathroom.
Anna Paquin
New Zealand actress
My husband and I own some art, but we are not huge spenders.
Insurance – it’s such a scam.
More from Emilia Fox
View profile →In my childhood, when I didn’t think about whether it was happy. It just was.
I’ve been to two postmortems in real life, and spent the last 14 years talking about death at work – so, pretty close.
I would like the poem Cherish by Raymond Carver. It was read by my dad at my wedding, and is my absolute favourite.
Listening to the last 10 minutes of the podcast S-Town. It is one of my favourite reminders of what life is truly all about.
Any writer who thinks I’ve ruined their work in performance.
Dawn French, because I am sitting next to her and she says if I don’t say her, she will hurt me.
More on money & investment
Also answered this
Romesh Ranganathan, Martin Compston, Edward Fox, Nicola Walker, Alison Steadman, Michael Ball
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All money & investment questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject