Ed Harris: Which moment embarrassed you most?

Which moment embarrassed you most?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Ed Harris said elsewhere, not written here

Modelling tuxedos at the Oklahoma State Fair in 1971.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗

Others on this question

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Natalie Imbruglia

Forgetting the words to my own songs on stage. I’m a very good mumbler of my own songs. You’d be surprised how few people notice – if you smile and do it confidently, they’re none the wiser.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 July 2026 source ↗

Monica Dolan

I once walked up to Harriet Walter while she was having lunch on her own because I thought I knew her, and then when I got up to the table I realised I didn’t know her, I just recognised her because she was Harriet Walter.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 January 2024 source ↗

Shakin' Stevens Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter

I was in the musical Elvis, and after a costume change I went below stage to be raised up on a platform. As I was raised up, I blanked and couldn’t remember the first line of the song King Creole. I mumbled the first few lines and hoped nobody would notice.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 February 2023 source ↗

Seann Walsh

At school, I got my head stuck in a balustrade on the stairs at lunchtime. I had pupils laughing at me, parents laughing at me, teachers laughing at me and eventually, at the end of the day, the fire brigade laughing at me.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 January 2026 source ↗