Marina Abramović
Performance artist
Last year when I had a pulmonary embolism – it was a very scary time.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 October 2024 source ↗
How close have you come to death?
Question
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Identity & self
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
What do you value most in your friends?
Relationships
Question
Are you afraid of death?
Death & what remains
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
When I was an idiot high school student, as opposed to being an idiot adult, I used to drive very fast.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗
Others on this question
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Sandy Powell
British costume designer
When I rode on the back of a motorbike from London to Rome with my eyes closed the entire way.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 September 2019 source ↗
Meera Syal
British writer and actress
On a school trip to Wales when I was 12. My canoe capsized and got stuck upside down next to a rock. I was underwater for about 30 seconds but it felt a lot longer.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 April 2018 source ↗
I lived in New York during 9/11 and worked a couple of blocks away from the twin towers. I was looking when the first tower exploded and then when the second plane flew in and, before we had to evacuate, I did see people jump to their death.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 8 November 2025 source ↗
More from John Malkovich
View profile →Watching seeds grow in the greenhouse. Drawing or reading or cooking.
Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 1 August 2013 source ↗
Probably when our children were small, which is not to say I am unhappy now.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗
I admire the mother of my children a great deal, because she’s interesting, smart and funny.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗
That they’re kind, trustworthy, smart, and can hear and communicate and aren’t afraid to do so.
Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 1 August 2013 source ↗
I don’t think so! You can’t really know that until the moment of your death, at which point you will probably not be afraid because you won’t be there. I have a very old friend who called me last year to say, “Okay I am done. I am not fighting this anymore. I am checking out. I am calling to say goodbye because I am not really conscious most of the time. I am cutting off the pain killers.” He seemed okay. That was not the moment of his death, but it was within two or three days.
Recorded The Talks, 8 February 2023 source ↗
More on death & what remains
- What would you like to be remembered for? 213 answers
- What song would you like played at your funeral? 178 answers
- If you had only one day left to live, how would you spend it — and what would you deliberately avoid doing? 54 answers
- What happens when we die? 51 answers
- How would you like to die? 43 answers
- What would you like to leave your children? 42 answers
Also answered this · A–Z
Adam Clayton, Adam Peaty, Adeel Akhtar, Adrian Edmondson, Aidan Gillen, Alex Lawther
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