Charles Dance
British actor
Realising what I wanted to do as a career – aged about 22.
When were you happiest?
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
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.
In my 60s. So many things that tortured me when I was younger have fallen away. Writing The Apology, the letter I wrote in my father’s voice, apologising for abusing me, has freed me from the last vestiges of anger, confusion, rancour and hate. It released me from a frame that had determined my life.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 June 2019 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 581 →
Keeley Hawes
British actress
I am happiest now.
Right here, right now.
Vera Lynn
English singer and entertainer
When my daughter, Virginia, was born, in 1946.
More from Eve Ensler
View profile →That most men have not yet come to understand the impact and the devastating consequences of violence against women.
As being useful.
Nine years ago I discovered I had stage 3/4 uterine cancer and went through nine months of excruciating surgery, illness and chemotherapy. In that time, I touched death and it was the most powerful transformation of my life. I was forced to learn to take care of my body.
Going off all technology.
I would have honoured my body, I would have lived inside it, cherished it and protected it.
More on time & hindsight
- What is the most important lesson life has taught you? 141 answers
- What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore? 82 answers
- What scares you about getting older? 63 answers
- What is the best advice you have ever received? 31 answers
- If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? 24 answers
- What is something you were told by a parent, teacher, or mentor that you still repeat to yourself? 23 answers
Also answered this
David Baddiel, Adam Kay, Joyce Carol Oates, Pauline McLynn, EL James, Julie Andrews
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All time & hindsight questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject