HW
When I got to 40 and realised I hadn’t read all the books I needed to read to understand the world.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 December 2017 source ↗
The question
What disappointment has stayed with you longest?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.
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Others on this question
View all 367 →Not joining the circus.
Richard Hammond
English journalist, television presenter, and author
Failing my driving test first time; that was a disappointment on a geological scale.
Jason Derulo
American singer and songwriter
That I haven’t done a film I love yet.
That I never became a virtuoso musician.
More from Harriet Walter
View profile →Judith Clark, on whom I based my character in the prison trilogy. She has served over 35 years and turned herself around. She is an inspiration.
I spent £600 on Rudolf Nureyev’s ballet shoes after he died. He was the biggest idol in my life and influenced me hugely.
An actor. When I was really young, I wanted to be a fishmonger’s wife.
I went to a funeral where they played Cheek To Cheek: Fred Astaire singing “Heaven. I’m in heaven… ” Everyone smiled. I’d like that.
My mother, because I didn’t appreciate until after she’d gone that she was a vulnerable human being. I just expected her to know everything and be everything.
In some way your life is doubled. You’re you and the other person.
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