SM
At three, I knew I was too tall to be a ballerina, so that wasn’t going to happen.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 8 July 2017 source ↗
The question
As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 197 →
John Lewis
U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1987–2020; Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 1963–1966
When I was growing up I wanted to be a minister. I wanted to preach.
Shaun Ryder
English singer
In 1975, I watched the film Stardust, and Adam Faith said, “I supply the birds, the pills and the pot.” And I thought, “I want that.”
I wanted to be a doctor, like my father.
Martin Kemp
English musician and actor
I wanted to play for Arsenal. When I have a kick-around with my boy, I still feel as if someone’s going to spot me.
More from Shirley MacLaine
View profile →The reviews of my latest film.
To know whether democracy really will work in the future.
The Nutcracker Suite pas de deux.
Watching my two baby dogs play. They are rat terriers, rescue dogs.
More on identity & self
- What do you fear most? 256 answers
- Which trait in yourself do you like least? 239 answers
- What most recently moved you to tears? 192 answers
- What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? 158 answers
- How would you sum yourself up in three words? 114 answers
- What fills you with the most pride? 103 answers
Also answered this
Patricia Hodge, Charlotte Church, Martin Kemp, Fay Ripley, Dan Stevens, Sue Perkins
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All identity & self questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject