Alana Haim Takes the Proust Questionnaire
Musician and actress Alana Haim answers a series of questions popularised by novelist Marcel Proust.
Fashion by Tess Pisani
This is an excerpt of an article first published in Mastermind 11, May 2022. To read the full interview, purchase the issue here.
During the past decade, many of us have become familiar with the boisterous charm of Alana Haim. As one-third of the Grammy-nominated band Haim, alongside her older sisters Este and Danielle, her music and accompanying videos showcased her playful energy and irrepressible talent. Following her remarkable on-screen debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film Licorice Pizza, the audience for Haim’s radiant presence is larger and more adoring than ever.
In this excerpt from her 2022 Mastermind interview, Haim answers a series of questions popularised by novelist Marcel Proust.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
AH Friday night dinner with my family.
What is your greatest fear?
AH A zombie apocalypse.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
AH I’m a people pleaser.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
AH Jealousy.
Which living person do you most admire?
AH Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, Cheri Oteri and Maya Rudolph. I grew up watching these powerful women on SNL and wanted to be them. They made funny girls look cool and sexy.
What is your greatest extravagance?
AH Gummy bears in a hotel mini bar.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
AH Like, you know.
Who or what is the greatest love of your life?
AH In-N-Out Burger.
When and where were you happiest?
AH I took a trip with my friends to a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere for New Year’s a couple years ago. No cell service, no TV, just drinking games and laughter.
Which talent would you most like to have?
AH To play the cello.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
AH I wish I could stop and smell the roses sometimes.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
AH Playing Glastonbury for the first time. It was the first time my siblings and I looked at each other and said, “How did we get here?”
What is your most treasured possession?
AH My photo albums.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
AH Losing someone you love too soon.
What do you most value in your friends?
AH Humor. I need to fill my days with laughter, and no one is funnier than my friends.
Who are your favorite writers?
AH John Fante and Paul Thomas Anderson.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
AH Max from A Goofy Movie.
What is your greatest regret?
AH I wish I was more confident when I was younger. I never spoke up for what I wanted. I wish I could go back and shake myself.
How would you like to die?
AH After saying “I love you” to all the people I love with all my heart.
What is your motto?
AH Cheers to all that wish us well, and all the rest can go to hell.