Back in Arizona, Gil Benbrook runs a website for our theater community called Phoenix Stages. The site updates the community on auditions, which shows are going up, etc.. However, Gil also occasionally interviews people who are prominent in the community and almost always end with the ten Actor’s Studio questions, with which I recently became fascinated.
These ten questions originally came from a French series, “Bouillon de Culture” hosted by Bernard Pivot. You may hear them referred to as the Proust Questionnaire because writer Marcel Proust brought popularity to the question set through his famous answers. They’re better known in the US as the questions that James Lipton asks every guest at the end of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” show.
I wanted to ask Kenyon students these questions because I think it actually provides a lot of insight into people’s various personalities. The responses were more varied than I initially assumed considering the like-mindedness of our campus. I always really enjoyed the optimism of most people’s answers to the God question.
And then, of course, there were the people who just typed out the lyrics to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” as their response. (Here’s looking at you, Adam Schwager.)
Becca Foley
1) What is your favorite word?
Multitude
2) What is your least favorite word?
Fifty-seven
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Corgis, sunflowers
4) What turns you off?
Making decisions
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Walking on fallen leaves
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Television static
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Water slide tester
9) What profession would you not like to do?
IMAX screen cleaner
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Here’s your complimentary corgi”
Kristen Edgeworth
1) What is your favorite word?
Ephemeral
2) What is your least favorite word?
Moist
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Autumn, quiet, sunshine
4) What turns you off?
Sharp noises, heat, insects
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Punk-ass
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The sound a can of soda makes when you open it
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Car horns
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Research scientist
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Anything related to English
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Congrats kid, you made it.”
Grace Gavazzi
1) What is your favorite word?
Meditation
2) What is your least favorite word?
Gnat
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Music
4) What turns you off?
People who don’t care about the environment.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The ocean
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Fire trucks
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Marine biology
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Journalism
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You saved a whale. Good for you!”
Jenna Wendler
1) What is your favorite word?
Prerogative
2) What is your least favorite word?
Moist
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Music
4) What turns you off?
Ignorance
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
I love music, but also the sound of wind in the trees.
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
When metal utensil scrapes a metal dish, like a pan.
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Head Curator of European Art or Director of (Insert Museum Name Here)
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Pre-school teacher. Children are lovely, but I am not good with children who cannot really interpret their own feelings and state their needs.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You have done enough and you are good enough, I promise.”
Eleanor Wellik
1) What is your favorite word?
Iridescent
2) What is your least favorite word?
Chunky
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
A good bass line, the smell of lakes, natural signs of physical affection, a nice thesis sentence, and concise or absurd beauty.
4) What turns you off?
Talking for the sake of being heard and the inability to observe importance or unimportance.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fucking Christ
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The dolphin noise I can make when I’m happy
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
People scratching themselves
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Musician
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Chemist
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You made it longer than expected.”
Vahni Kurra
1) What is your favorite word?
Supercilious
2) What is your least favorite word?
Plank
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Empowered women, especially if they’re singers
4) What turns you off?
Ignorance
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Tittyfuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Crunching leaves
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
People chewing
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Editor
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Daycare worker
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“That’s it?”
Suz Bator
1) What is your favorite word?
Subtle because it has a subtle ‘b’ in it.
2) What is your least favorite word?
Congeal. Ugh.
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Wind chimes.
4) What turns you off?
Exhaustion.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
It has 4 letters.
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Wind chimes?
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Nails on a chalkboard.
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Rich housewife.
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Mortician.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Sinners welcome!”
Juliana Delsante
1) What is your favorite word?
Superfluous
2) What is your least favorite word?
Squelch
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Rain and candles.
4) What turns you off?
Being forced to work.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Falling rain
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Buzzing
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Freelance writer
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Office job
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“I know you tried your best so you’re welcome in.”
Amelia Yeager
1) What is your favorite word?
Gossamer
2) What is your least favorite word?
Hirsute
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Confusing music, strong colors, and things I don’t understand.
4) What turns you off?
Demand for production
5) What is your favorite curse word?
“Shiddamn” (conflation of shit and damn)
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The hourly bell tones of the chapel on campus
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Crying
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Writing, curating and exposing as many people to beautiful things as I can.
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that fuels the machine.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You don’t have to worry anymore”
Paige Ballard
1) What is your favorite word?
Lovely
2) What is your least favorite word?
Episiotomy
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Days my handwriting looks really pretty. It makes me want to keep writing
4) What turns you off?
The wrong your, there, or to
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Bastard
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Kids playing on a playground
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Ticking clocks
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Librarian
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Bus driver
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“You’re not going to hell even though you were wrong about me existing!”
Sophie Mortensen
1) What is your favorite word?
Bamboozle
2) What is your least favorite word?
Meek
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Nature and music.
4) What turns you off?
Too-strict parameters.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Crap (My mommy raised me not to curse.)
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Running water
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Chewing and cracking knuckles/ other joints.
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Writer
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Door-to-door saleswoman
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Jenna Cartusciello
1) What is your favorite word?
Mellifluous
2) What is your least favorite word?
Colonel
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Good, good music
4) What turns you off?
Bad, bad music
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Flying fuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
A three part vocal harmony
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
A clean fork scraping on a clean plate
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Designing cakes! but not the baking part because I suck at baking.
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that has to do with my major.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Sup?”
Annmarie Morrison
1) What is your favorite word?
Petrichor
2) What is your least favorite word?
Ointment
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Selflessness
4) What turns you off?
Ointment
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuuuuuuuuck, or fck, but it’s gotta have lots of u’s or no u’s at all.
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Indistinct conversation—like that white-noise background talking thing that you’d get at a party or something.
7) What sound or noise do you hate? The fucking Miranda Sings voice. I’m sorry but I cannot do it – it’s the worst.
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Photography or something. I don’t know much about it but I mean, you just hold the camera and click the button and that seems easy enough, right?
9) What profession would you not like to do?
I’m getting the fuck away from anything that has to do with dealing with other people’s money.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Hey i want a new profile picture – do you think you could help sometime soon?”
Josh Biatch
1) What is your favorite word?
Honorificabilitudinitatibus
2) What is your least favorite word?
I have two: lit and fleek
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Passion, dedication, talent, and humility
4) What turns you off?
Negativity and taking pleasure in not taking your work seriously
5) What is your favorite curse word?
jesusmotherfucking CHRIST!!!!
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The sizzle of food on a heated pan
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Computer generated “music”
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Pediatrician or psychotherapist
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Anything in the sanitation or food service industries
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Hey, you know every bad thing that has ever happened anywhere ever that, as an all-knowing and all-powerful being, I could have stopped but didn’t lift a damn finger about? Yeah, sorry about that, I’m kind of an asshole.”
Taylor Hazan
1) What is your favorite word?
Lovely
2) What is your least favorite word?
Schlep
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Those moments when you realize that the rest of the world is full of complex, unique, interconnected lives of which you will never be a part.
4) What turns you off?
Dishonesty
5) What is your favorite curse word?
I don’t swear, so I say “gerf” (a word of my creation that I’ve been saying since 9th grade!)
6) What sound or noise do you love?
That rumbly sound of the wind and the waves at the ocean
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
When music is playing but just quietly enough that you can’t really recognize it
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Con-artist
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Doctor
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Thank you. You did what you could, and you were as kind as you could have been.”
Jenna Bouquot
1) What is your favorite word?
Lovely
2) What is your least favorite word?
Retard
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Music, sunny weather, and the general feeling of excitement and hope.
4) What turns you off?
An unaccepting personality or closed-off mind.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck
6) What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of wind blowing through the car when the windows are down.
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Screaming
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Chemist
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Teacher
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“I’m proud of you.”
Mackenna Goodrich
1) What is your favorite word?
Spooky
2) What is your least favorite word?
Saying “Daddy” in a serious way.
3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?
Good naps, spreadsheets, making playlists and working on dance/theatre.
4) What turns you off?
Making the same joke over and over and over again; making a huge stink and being rude to others; immaturity.
5) What is your favorite curse word?
The best way to form any swear word is swear + noun; I’m partial to “fuck triangle.”
6) What sound or noise do you love?
Leaves, leaves, leaves, leaves and the river!
7) What sound or noise do you hate?
Dishes scratching, people chewing and people breathing too loud
8) What profession would you like to attempt?
Theatre director
9) What profession would you not like to do?
Whatever the characters from The Office actually do.
10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“I’m glad you look relieved”
I actually gained a lot of insight from working on this project. A lot of people like the word “lovely” and A LOT of people hate the word “moist.” Ask your friends, potential dating partner or dog these questions when you want to find out more about who they are.
Image credits: Facebook