When I was naive to the complexities of life.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 October 2025 source ↗
The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
When I was naive to the complexities of life.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 October 2025 source ↗
Right now. Ask me again when my children are grown, and I’ll sob, “When they loved me more than that woman/man they’ve shacked up with.”
Whenever all my children and my grandchild are near.
At the beginning of lockdown; it was just me and my new baby and my partner in the house. It was lovely.
Every time one of my kids was born and I knew that they were healthy.
I don’t think anything scares me. It’s a gift and I want to embrace it.
Curious, playful and silly.
Finding a tenner in your jeans pocket. It has always been there but you find it at the moment you really need it.
To a resistant materials teacher at secondary school called Mr Noel. He had a comb-over and whenever he turned his back to write on the blackboard, we would roll up bits of paper and launch them at his head. Once, I hit him. I remember him turning around and looking crestfallen.
Telesales – having to sell terrible kitchens. I thought, maybe I’m not a good actor because I can’t even convince myself that these kitchens are worth paying for.
Helen Mirren was in the elevator with me at the National Theatre. She pressed the button but it didn’t move. I said, “Fancy seeing you here and being stuck in an elevator.” And she said, “Was that meant to be funny?” I apologised, and she laughed. Even talking about it now, it feels so awkward and embarrassing.
Alan Johnson, John Malkovich, Henry Winkler, Jonnie Peacock, Rebecca Ferguson, Edwina Currie
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