Julie Hesmondhalgh
English actress and narrator
That the last general election didn’t take place later. We might have got rid of the Tories with a couple more weeks.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
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.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
That I never became a virtuoso musician.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
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Sandy Powell
British costume designer
Not meeting David Bowie, but then they say it’s best not to meet your heroes.
Serena Williams
United States professional tennis player, 1995–2022
Any lost match is, of course, disappointing, but every loss is a lesson to be learned.
I had an opportunity many years ago to move to America and be given a daytime TV show. The kids were quite young and I decided not to, but looking back I wish I had done it.
More from Adam Clayton
View profile →The fact that I might wake up early.
A headmaster said I was a complete washout and I would never be any good for anything.
Kind, insubstantial and dedicated.
In 1992 I was in New York, and somebody showed me a work by Louise Bourgeois. I never realised that sculpture could move me, and I was so affected by this piece that I bought it. It was a lot of money.
Gabor Maté. He is very eloquent and articulate about the role of trauma in our lives.
When I was drinking, there were many times when I was out for the night and didn’t come back for a week.
More on failure & regret
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 205 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 124 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 124 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 77 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 39 answers
Also answered this
Matt Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Bear Grylls, Vanessa Redgrave, Speech Debelle, Ed Harris
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