I am consistently disappointed in the music industry. Every time someone says that I’m underrated, that feels extremely disappointing because I’ve done my end of the bargain.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
Change of mind
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Question
What scares you about getting older?
Time & hindsight
Question
What would you like to leave your children?
Death & what remains
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I really wanted a role in Harry Potter and I never got one.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 May 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 366 →
Shane MacGowan
Irish singer-songwriter
I never set my sights that high, so I’m not disappointed with anything.
Ivan Lendl
Czech and American tennis player
Plenty of matches got away, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so why worry?
Olly Alexander
English singer and actor
Early in my career I got really close to being one of the kids in the Narnia movie. I remember being crushed.
More from Juliet Stevenson
View profile →Impulsive, enthusiastic, determined.
Many times on British roads, because I drive very fast. In another life, I would have liked doing Formula One.
I vowed never to marry, but we got married as soon as we could after lockdown. I used to think it was patriarchal but when same-sex marriage became legal, I thought: OK, great, this institution has finally changed.
I would find a much better way of looking after my mum in her last three years of dementia. I did my best, but it was incredibly difficult to find the right kind of care unless you’ve got £3,000 a week to spend.
Not being able to run.
A deep sense that they will be fine in the world without me.
More on failure & regret
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 63 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
Also answered this
Jason Derulo, Andrea Riseborough, Melissa McCarthy, Irvine Welsh, Suzanne Vega, Bill Bailey
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