Gillian Anderson
American actress and writer
Obama, because against all odds, he's getting the job done with grace and integrity.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Question
In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to?
Daily life
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
Craft & work
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Question
How would you like to die?
Death & what remains
Question
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Identity & self
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I feel almost certain I don't know them. It would be one of these types who dedicate their lives to the welfare of others, whereas the people I tend to know are people making stories out of the dramas of themselves.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, November 2016 source ↗
Others on this question
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Ice-T
American rapper and actor
Barack Obama – just for the simple fact he took the shot and went all the way to president.
John Waters
American filmmaker
Johnny Mathis - he is so perfect.
Michelle Obama.
More from Zadie Smith
View profile →Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.
Narcissism, solipsism.
Don’t romanticise your “vocation”. You can either write good sentences or you can’t. There is no “writer’s lifestyle”. All that matters is what you leave on the page.
Violent death. Death generally.
Oblivious to the event or on the brink of a genuine religious conversion.
Reading quietly, in high grass, among loved ones (who are also quietly reading). Followed by a boozy lunch.
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Stephen Fry, Angus Deayton, Fran Lebowitz, Tim Minchin, Monica Ali, Reece Shearsmith
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