In an audition at the Royal Court, this man called out, “Were you trained?”
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
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
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Called me the N-word.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 November 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 122 →
Michael Ball
English singer, presenter and actor
“Unfortunately, Michael, I don’t think you’re ever going to work in the acting profession until you’re about 40, and then it’ll only be in minor character roles.” Drama teacher at Guildford School of Acting.
Belinda Carlisle
American singer
“You sing like a goat.” When I did my French album [Voila], this French woman – a supposed friend – said to my face: “It’s fantastic but, how come you sound like a chèvre?” It was like someone had hit me in the stomach.
Jason Manford
English comedian and singer
Someone once said online that they hated me so much they wanted to stab me with a spoon. A knife’s easy, but a spoon – that takes real hatred.
More from Paapa Essiedu
View profile →To find as many moments to laugh as possible.
In 2016, the moment my agent rang me to tell me I’d got the part of Hamlet for the RSC. While I was on the phone, I looked to my left and turned to the right, and a bus whizzed by and the wing mirror was so close to me that it knocked my hat off.
After losing my mum still managing to finish drama school, because that was really difficult. I lost her in the first year.
I find it difficult to sit still.
A really bad habit of eating sweets before I go to sleep.
I would really love to know my parents as an adult. I lost my dad when I was 14 and my mum when I was 20.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 366 answers
- Who most deserves an apology from you, and why? 209 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 203 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 122 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 63 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 36 answers
Also answered this
Cybill Shepherd, Liev Schreiber, Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan, Alison Steadman, Michael Ball
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