John Lithgow: 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.

John Lithgow

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Conflict aversion.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, October 2024 source ↗

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Carol Vorderman

I still say yes to too many things.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 March 2026 source ↗

Jacqueline Wilson English novelist

Catastrophising.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 May 2022 source ↗

Pauline Black

I’m argumentative.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 April 2025 source ↗

Stephanie Beacham

Well, I’m always right.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 May 2025 source ↗

More from John Lithgow

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Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

Probably the curtain call of my final performance when I played King Lear.

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

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

Climate change, duh.

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

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

Creating something and feeling proud of it.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 25 October 2024 source ↗

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

Three versions of the same trait: deceit, hypocrisy, and manipulativeness.

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

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