Ed Harris
American actor and director
Asking my wife questions that don't need to be asked.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Question
Which moment embarrassed you most?
Failure & regret
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Question
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
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.
Impatience. I’m not very good at waiting around or dealing with things that aren’t moving at a pace that I want them to.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 March 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
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Vick Hope
British television and radio presenter
I can’t say no. I am a people-pleaser, and it means that I burn myself out because I take on too much.
Daryl McCormack
Irish actor
Oversharing. I long to be intimately connected to people and sometimes, among strangers, I don’t read the room.
Angela Griffin
British actress and television presenter
Catastrophising.
More from Fearne Cotton
View profile →On radio, I once said “anal” instead of “angel”.
I assumed that once I reached some level of achievement, I would feel fixed.
Picking myself back up after very tricky times and trying again.
An air steward, because I loved airports. I wrote a letter to British Airways when I was seven and I’ve got the reply in the loft, which says, “You’re a bit young at seven but do stay in touch.” I was that kind of kid who was eager to start the ball rolling.
People have said, “I wish you would die.” That’s the stark truth of being in the public eye – people dehumanise you and say ghastly things.
Eager to learn.
More on identity & self
Also answered this
Andy Serkis, Michael Flatley, Carol Vorderman, John Malkovich, Bill Gates, Bear Grylls
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- All identity & self questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject