The question
Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Oprah Winfrey. Considering the cards she was dealt at birth, what she has achieved is quite something.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 April 2023 source ↗
Billie Jean King. She’s the reason tennis is such an equal sport in terms of opportunity for women.
Lemn Sissay. What happened to him and what he’s done with his life is extraordinary.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Maybe if we all admire her hard enough, she’ll live beyond this incredibly disturbing era.
My buddy Kenny Laguna. He’s a person of extraordinary character, he’s intelligent, and a very good friend.
Follow your dream and never give up, because it’s not over until the fat lady sings. Ride the adventure!
Sheer drops, like a precipice.
Do you have 10 pages? Once, I was dancing in a costume that was like a corset. During a move, the corset ripped and exploded, and I had to carry on doing the number practically in my jockstrap.
I bought a Mercedes convertible brand new in 2016 and I’ve only done 4,000 miles. I love cars – if I’m going to blow it, it’ll be on a sports car. I already have my eyes on the next one – I’ll get Simon Cowell to buy it.
I had to choreograph dancing cows for a commercial. I had to superimpose footage of dancing legs – some were mine – on to the cow. It was bonkers.
I don’t think anyone should deplore anything about themselves. You can always improve things, but by deploring you’re putting yourself on a losing streak.
Paul Theroux, Rhys Ifans, Dominic West, Nicola Walker, Joyce Carol Oates, Monica Ali
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