Laurie Metcalf: Which trait in yourself do you like least?

The question

Which trait in yourself do you like least?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's The Q&A has retained this Proust-derived prompt from at least 2007 through 2026, and ABC independently put it to the Obamas in 2011.

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

Laurie Metcalf

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Impatience. The inability to ever finish a knitting project.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2018 source ↗

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Allison Janney

Oh, I have a long list. You should ask me what I like about myself—that list is much shorter.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2025 source ↗

Sharon Corr Musical artist

Procrastination.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 June 2023 source ↗

Omid Djalili British stand-up comedian and actor

Overeating when stressed.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 August 2010 source ↗

Patti LuPone

My Sicilian impulsiveness.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, August 2024 source ↗

More from Laurie Metcalf

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Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

My sister, who manages to see the positive in any situation.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2018 source ↗

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

Pizza and wine after performing for a great Saturday-night crowd on Broadway.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 21 February 2018 source ↗

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

Ingratitude. Taking advantage of others.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2018 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

Anything underneath me in water I can’t see to the bottom of.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2018 source ↗

Question Which quality in your friends matters most to you? Relationships

Their ability to make me laugh from the gut.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 21 February 2018 source ↗

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