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Proust Questionnaire
KIRK DOUGLAS
Kirk Douglas’s acting-school crush, Lauren Bacall, got him his first screen test, which resulted in films such as Paths of Glory and Lonely Are the Brave, where the actor’s dimpled chin became almost as notable as the complexity he gave his characters. Offscreen, he fought the McCarthyite blacklist and developed a flourishing parallel career as a novelist. On the eve of the publication of his latest book, My Stroke of Luck, he takes time to reflect on Jimmy Carter, his wife, Anne, and his dislike of that famous chin
Proust Questionnaire
KIRK DOUGLAS
Kirk Douglas’s acting-school crush, Lauren Bacall, got him his first screen test, which resulted in films such as Paths of Glory and Lonely Are the Brave, where the actor’s dimpled chin became almost as notable as the complexity he gave his characters. Offscreen, he fought the McCarthyite blacklist and developed a flourishing parallel career as a novelist. On the eve of the publication of his latest book, My Stroke of Luck, he takes time to reflect on Jimmy Carter, his wife, Anne, and his dislike of that famous chin
What is your greatest fear?
That I will lose my speech.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Moses.
Which living person do you most admire?
President Jimmy Carter.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of punctuality.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My wife.
What is your favorite journey?
To our house in Montecito.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being too religious.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.
What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My chin.
Which living person do you most despise?
Saddam Hussein.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“You know ...”
What is your greatest regret?
That I have not paid attention to friendships in the past.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife, Anne.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Get my speech back to what it was.
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
To get together more often.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Breaking the blacklist by using Dalton Trumbo’s name on Spartacus.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
The second husband of my wife.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having a stroke.
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Don Quixote.
What is it that you most dislike?
People who have more than others but don't give.
How would you like to die?
In my sleep.
What is your motto?
“I tried, goddammit, I tried!”
