Having fun with my sisters back in the day. I miss playing cards and fighting over crabs with them every weekend.
When were you happiest?
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Failure & regret
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
On stage. Always on stage. God that’s depressing, isn’t it?
The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 December 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 577 →Right up to this question.
Fran Lebowitz
American author and public speaker
The moment I realised I knew how to read. I was five.
When I was naive to the complexities of life.
More from Siobhán McSweeney
View profile →As Tilda Swinton in a fat suit.
So many. I have been very cowardly in the past, and it came across as me not caring, when the opposite was true.
My impotence in the face of war.
Loving, odd, playful. Jeepers, I’ve described myself like a damaged rescue puppy.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to insult you, but did you know you look a bit like that actress Siobhán McSweeney?”
Being loved by my family and friends despite my personality.
More on time & hindsight
- What is the most important lesson life has taught you? 137 answers
- What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore? 77 answers
- What scares you about getting older? 61 answers
- What is the best advice you have ever received? 28 answers
- If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? 23 answers
- What is something you were told by a parent, teacher, or mentor that you still repeat to yourself? 22 answers
Also answered this
Michael Sheen, Elaine Paige, Brett Anderson, Scott Mills, Rob Lowe, Daphne Guinness
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All time & hindsight questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject