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.
Lack of confidence masquerading as perfectionism.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 May 2025 source ↗
Well, first of all I’d like to change the word “deplore” to “dislike.” I guess that I’m almost a hermit; I don’t enjoy going out that much, and so I tend to take my happiness from the joys of my home and my husband.
I never let it go.
My ability to make everything about me.
Cowardice. There are so many issues that I would like to express opinions about but I’m too scared to stick my head above the parapet because of the social media pile-on.
Being an actor is inherently embarrassing. You have to embrace it.
Optimistic, creative, resilient.
In a rehearsal just after graduating from drama college, I say my lines to an older actor. He pauses, turns to the director and says: “I’m sorry, but is she going to do it like that?”
Like everything is in high definition, and life is on your side.
I’m quite scared of bats. I’m just seeing rats with wings – no, thanks.
A business-class flight. Pure indulgence.
Clare Bailey Mosley, Helen Mirren, Joseph Fiennes, Sarah Perry, Michelle Yeoh, Dervla Kirwan
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